


Tag Along

by Kaoz



Series: Phade [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-03-19
Updated: 2007-03-18
Packaged: 2017-10-19 10:18:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/199769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoz/pseuds/Kaoz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>#2 of Changes.<br/>Tag Along has the guys booking a room at the Hyperion where Sam recognizes a familiar face then rubs it in Dean's face. Turns out they have an old school mate in residence. Phade helps them out on a hunt that has to do with her learning about who and what she is. There’s a bit of disappointment in the end for Dean but they do have to continue the hunt so…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Winchester boys took a trip down to Los Angeles and after blundering into the 'Hyperion Hotel' they got a little sidetracked.This is a sort of crossover with ATS.

Sam sat back a pleased smile lighting his features. The laptop rested on the bed, the only difference with his room at the Hyperion was that Dean kept pacing the length of it. Back and forth, back and forth. He wouldn't be pacing after Sam revealed his ace.

"Dean? You remember that school in Indian? We were there a couple of months, 5 I think."

"Uh-no-o." Dean glanced at Sam hoping he hadn't heard the hesitation in his answer.

Sam frowned as if he was thinking but he never took his eyes off the screen nor did his fingers stop clicking away at the keys.

"Come on Dean. How could you forget? You wanted to play foot ball and Dad ha-."

"NO. I wanted to-." Dean stopped in mid-sentence knowing he'd said too much and tried to cover it. "I don't remember at all." he finished with a shrug and turned away.

 _'No more pacing.'_ Sam thought smugly.

"You wanted to impress that cheerleader." He said, the laughter was clearly in his voice. "What was her name?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Dean ground out with his back still to Sam.

"You don't-." Sam's laughter cut into his teasing and it took him a couple of tries to get it controlled. "You don't remember carrying her picture in your wallet?"

"It wasn't he-!" Dean turned around obviously goaded into revealing just a little more than he wanted. "The picture came with the wallet, Sam."

Sam let out a guffaw but stifled it at Dean's reddening face. He decided to show his hand…

"Really?" he turned the laptop slowly until the screen faced his brother. "It sure looks a lot like this one doesn't it?"

There on his little brothers computer screen was the face of the girl he'd had the biggest crush on in his entire life. She had been the- she was- was the only reason Dean had attended school that year. Just a glimpse of her was enough to keep him in a good mood, that was until he'd catch her with _him._ Dean caught himself starting to smile back at the big doe eyed girl on the screen. She seemed to be smiling just for him, a hand twined in her long black locks-.

"No." Dean scowled remembering 'Jaden' as he turned his back on Sam.

"Doesn't she look familia-?"

"No Sam. I told you I don't remember. We went to a hundred different schools after Mom died, moving from town to town following Dad, hunting the demons…" his voice rose with frustration and remembered anger. "So, no. I don't remember the school _or_ the girl." He spread his arms wide as the last word echoed in the room.

Sam looked at Dean, really looked at his brother and noticed the heart he hid from the world. He could understand why, the life of a hunter wasn't exactly made for long relationships or ones that meant starting a family. It hadn't been fair to them, growing up in that life and it was worse when you wanted something you knew couldn't last. Quietly, Sam picked up the laptop and went to sit at the small table Phade had brought in from another room. Dean began pacing again when Sam spoke quietly.

"It's Phade." The sound of clicking keys was suddenly loud in the quiet room.

Dean's mouth opened and closed not sure what words to use or how to make them come out. About the only thing he was sure of was that somehow Sam had made a mistake.

"Who-what?"

Sam ignored the stammers even as Dean took a couple of steps towards him.

"Sam!" Dean took another step towards his brother, voice rising.

"Yep?" Sam answered sounding almost bored, as if Dean hadn't just yelled.

"Are you-?" he trailed off. He was hoping somehow his genius brat brother was wrong, not that he usually was but in this case… well it couldn't be Phade. This woman hunted demons; she _knew_ demons, considered them friends, even practiced some witchcraft. No, Sam _had_ to be wrong about this.

"Not sure, I mean we did go to a bunch of different schools. Probably just coincidence…" Sam trailed off glancing at Dean out of the corner of his eye, seeing his brother slightly relax.

"Sam… nah." Dean sat on Sam's bed looking thoughtful. Sam kept typing away looking at Dean's reflection on his screen.

"Could be… common name… there's lots of girls name Phade _Jaden_ Vartan."

"Jaden?" Dean asked sitting up. He scrambled to his feet going to look over his shoulder at the screen once more.

"Yeah, Dean. Didn't I tell you?" Sam feigned innocence.

"No. You didn't." there was an accusing glare from those green eyes before they focused on the screen again. "It can't be her!" he exclaimed.

"Why not?" Sam asked forgetting to type. "You know, I can see it now. Surprised you didn't notice it sooner Dean. She looks the same and you were always looking at her picture-."

"No," Dean straightened though he continued to look at the smiling girl. "She's grown up." He could see the difference in her immediately. It was almost as if the girl in the picture had never existed. Dean remembered the look on her face when they'd laid Sam on her bed to rest. Her brown eyes reflected a deep sorrow and she'd said;

 _'Nothing. That's what I have. Not a damn thing.'_ the echo of her soft voice full of emotion reverberated in his head.

Dean noticed his brother staring; he had a smirk on his face and realized how he'd sounded. Dean cleared his throat and spoke gruffly. "She's lost some lbs. you know, that girly fat or whatever." He motioned with his hands in the general direction of a woman's hips and midsection. Sam's laughter only confirmed that both guys remembered the slim shape of the girl they'd met in high school.

"Don't let her hear you. She's liable to turn you into a frog or something." Then he laughed at the thought of Dean hoping around saying 'ribbit!'

"You're full of jokes today Sammy." Dean commented with a fake smile. Sam nodded his head stifling another laugh when Dean wiped the smile from his face and barked; "What are we hunting Sam?"

"Ehem. Nothing particularly evil…" Sam said with another attempt to clear his throat that had nothing to do with dislodging a bothersome substance and everything to do with his laughter. "But there's plenty of hauntings in LA to keep us busy." He grinned wickedly unable to help himself. "We could stick around for a while. You know, give you a chance to impress 'Jaden'-."

"Her name's Phade and she's obviously not the girl you remember." Dean interjected roughly but Sam kept laughing even as he went to retrieve the newspaper articles he'd set aside. Sam knew this was by far the fanciest hotel they'd stayed at and now that Phade had gotten to know them, it was definitely the cheapest, as in free. He handed the clippings to Dean who immediately began skimming through the pile searching for anything evil and menacing.

 **W**

It was getting dark and they still hadn't said what they were going to do. The sun cast a reddish violet glow over the city almost as if it were bleeding… Phade shook herself out of the morbid thoughts and gloomy mood. They'd been out all day sightseeing, if that's what they could call what they had been doing. She had managed to get them to the MOCA in downtown LA. Sam had enjoyed the visit but Dean- well; Phade couldn't really picture him as the museum type.

She straightened in the back seat sliding forward to rest her arms on the backrest as she glanced from one brother to the other. They were both so different… she couldn't figure out why they kept doing this, hunting demons, there had to be something else, something better for them. Hadn't they ever wanted more?

"So." She said. Sam glanced in her direction something he'd been doing all day. Now that she thought about it they'd both been sneaking glances at her all day and though she'd promised not to sneak a peak in their brains she _really_ wanted to break that little rule. It wouldn't hurt them but if she broke her rule now what would keep her from doing it again later? And what would happen later, when she had an excuse for using that side effect on anyone she felt like? Nothing gave her that right, just because she could, it didn't mean that she should.

"What are we going to do?" she asked instead of letting the thoughts in her head get out of hand.

"Verify a haunting, then exorcise it." Sam said matter of fact. Like he did that everyday and as far as Phade knew he probably did. Hell, she knew they _both_ did that everyday.

"Oh." Phade sort of hunched back looking disappointed as she glanced out the side window again. "That's it?" she asked hoping there would be demons to kill. Somehow, she'd pictured Sam and Dean being more _active_ in their job, all they'd done so far was drive around looking at different houses and buildings. She didn't want to admit, even to herself, that she'd been hoping for some confirmation, some proof that she _had_ been right.

Dean muttered something under his breath about her whining all day and saw her frown in the rearview mirror.

"I mean usually I get slimy demon, or fangy vampires and a lot less driving around." Phade looked straight into the mirror and caught Dean's glower. She had no idea what was gnawing at him but enough was enough. Dealing with his bad humor wasn't in her job description and she sure as hell didn't have to take it.

"Sorry to disappoint." Dean snapped. "Why don't I let you off right here and you can go back to your busy office-." His sarcasm was enough to finally make her snap back, not that she hadn't because the snappishness had been present since late morning.

"Dude, what's up your butt? You've been a dick all day." Phade turned to Sam and asked; "He _really_ didn't like the MOCA, huh?"

Sam chortled with laughter shaking his head.

"It's not the museum." He barely managed to reply. Phade sat back in the seat; arms crossed and watched the brothers argue. She couldn't help thinking about her own family only she was alone. There wasn't anyone around now but that was how she wanted it right? It was dangerous to get them involved and her Father would definitely have a heart attack if he ever found out exactly what she did for a living. _She'd_ just about had a heart attack when her Dad had almost seen Lorne.

 _'Nope. He's better off staying close to Sebastián. My son needs him more than I do. Needs someone I_ know _will love him unselfishly and have his best interest at heart.'_

Phade couldn't help the sadness that overwhelmed her. She tried not to think about why it was so different. Why her Dad hadn't been able to believe in her… It didn't matter how long it had been since they took Sebastián from her, it still hurt just as bad, even the letters Bastían sent lay unopened in the living room drawer.

She missed her family; there was a huge hole in her life where there used to be laughter and teasing just like Sam and Dean-. Phade shuddered lightly tearing her thoughts away from the sad empty life she had forced upon herself. She had told herself it would be better this way. That living her life away from the snide comments, their little jabs and reminders of Aunt Luc and the year after her death would be worth whatever life sent her way. Phade couldn't help regretting that choice because nothing was worse loosing him.

Thinking about the choices she'd made opened up her eyes to the possibility of a long and lonely existence where she became that lady with all those cats… the old crone in the neighborhood all the kids whispered about because they thought she was a witch.

 _'They wouldn'_ _t_ _be wrong about that._ ' Phade thought with a shrug but it wasn't what she wanted. There was still time to get in touch with her brother, maybe even her older sisters and brothers?

So they had treated her like a nut. It still hurt; still bothered her but she didn't want to be alone for ever. For one, Phade would have to swallow her pride. They would all know about Sebastián because her Dad would've given a reason for moving out of town. Tere would've wanted to know why he was leaving her house, where he'd been living ever since Phade had left with Sebastián more than three years before.

"We're here." Dean announced. Phade looked out the window at the old building that looked a lot like an old firehouse. The red chipped paint and shuttered windows were a testament to how old this place really was. She couldn't remember seeing a house that still had shutters on the windows.

"Here?" she asked slipping out of the backseat which Sam held open for her. Once on the sidewalk she waited for the guys to do… whatever it was they did. After all, she was along for the ride not _real_ work.

 **W**

"So what's the story on this place?" Phade asked following Dean. They had placed her in the middle and Phade had smiled. They still couldn't get it through their heads that she wasn't easily hurt.

 _'Maybe when they see, they'll get it.'_ She wondered.

"It's supposed to be haunted by the original caretaker, the guy in the painting downstairs." Sam said from behind.

"The one that looked like it was following us with its eyes?" she asked glancing back. He nodded to which she rolled her eyes. "Come on, that's like some painters trick. People don't really think all this is _real_. Do they?"

It was her Father talking, her sister's and their taunting that colored her words. Phade couldn't keep the flush of heat from her face. She was embarrassed but more than that she knew it was wrong. The guys hadn't treated her like a nut.

"That's what gets you?" Dean asked turning to her. "That people will believe in hauntings and us but they won't believe vampires are real. Which sucks for you since that's your main line of work isn't it?" Dean remarked snidely.

"You're seriously riding my last nerve Dean-o." Phade warned running up the three steps separating them to get in his face. But she couldn't readily admit that most of her life she'd been an outcast in her own family because she saw _it_.

"You've got a problem with a simple solution. Get laid and g-. Hey!" suddenly Phade was on top of Dean and both were awkwardly sprawled on the stairs. Her back felt cold beneath Dean's hands from where he held her; most of the impact had been absorbed by him or rather his side.

"What the hell was that?" Dean growled painfully as both Phade and he tried to stand up again. Sam's flashlight kept bouncing around from one side of the staircase to the other but there was nothing there.

"I didn't see anything."

"Well someone or _something_ shoved me!" Phade grumbled finally getting to her feet. She glared at Dean somehow blaming him. She could still feel the cold ache in her back from where she was pushed and glancing around the stairs couldn't find anything. There was a chuckle a step below her and her eyes glared into Sam's face.

"Something funny?" she asked quietly.

"Uh, no, yeah depends on how you see it." Sam hedged at their glares.

"What?" Dean asked now standing with his back against the wall. Sam didn't miss the wary stance or the shift of his brother's green eyes.

"Well, according to one of the articles," he chuckled again and apologized before continuing. "It said that when people go up to the 2nd story, people, mostly females get pushed at a male… if…" he glanced from one stony face to the other and wiped off his smile. "If they seem to be a perfect couple."

"WHAT!" two sets of outraged voices yelled in unison. The sound echoed back to them from the 2nd floor but it was indistinguishable from the arguing on the landing and Sam's unrestrained laughter. For him it was just too funny.

 **W**

Phade was getting tired of their constant glances and finally she stopped in the middle of the old children's room and spread her arms wide. "What?" she asked. "What is it?"

Both guys glanced at each other wondering what she was asking about.

"Oh, now you play dumb. You." She pointed at Dean. "Take a picture cuz the sneaking glances is getting weird."

Sam just about laughed at her comment in regards to the picture. She obviously had no idea how close her statement was to the past. He averted his face but couldn't hide the snort of laughter.

"And you!" she jabbed at finger in Sam's direction who was trying to cover his grin. "I don't care what the stupid article says. Ghosts don't know a thing about people and couples being perfect so knock it off! Teasing your brother is one thing but I am not him. We clear?"

"Sure." Sam nodded with a straight face but the way she was behaving just reminded him of Dean in one of his big brother speeches. It bordered on the annoying; her lecturing but then they had been teasing her. Well, Dean was antagonizing and Sam had just been amused by his brother's reaction and Phade's clulessness about the situation. Maybe her being upset made sense…

"I don't stare!" Dean interjected.

"Ah! You liar!" Phade exclaimed. "You do so stare and I've seen you. Both of you." She said glancing at Sam. He choked on his laugh, drawing his face into a serious mask.

"You're right-." Sam began.

"Sam!" Dean's voice had clear warning through it but Sam shrugged apologetically and forged ahead.

"You ever go to school in _Indiana_?" he asked. "Fort Wayne?"

Phade's face seemed to close up at the mention of her first year of high school. Most of it had been her rebelling against her parents for moving way out to the middle of nowhere-ville on a 'maybe' possibility of work. Not that there had been since fieldwork wasn't exactly their first choice out there. Phade remembered the first year at Fort High in a sudden rush. Faces, events, teachers and kids bombarded her mind, which she did her best to block out. Everything about that year had just been _wrong_ , being fifteen hadn't helped either nor having to make new friends or a new squad which hadn't lasted long what with all the money required to pay for the uniform, the trips and the camp she wasn't exactly going to be able to attend from whatever new town they ended up moving to before the year was out. It had been too much and like any teenager she did the next worst thing, act out.

"There's nothing here. Nothing _we_ need to get rid of so let's go." Dean marched to the door and held it open waiting as first Sam then Phade walked out. He didn't give her a chance to respond though by the look on her face Dean didn't think she would. He wouldn't blame her; it wasn't as though he'd recognized her…

The silence seemed endless as they walked down the stairs and to the front room where Sam held the front door open. Both guys watched her walk quietly to the car and get in. She didn't even look at them.

"Call it a night?" Dean asked watching Phade. Sam followed his gaze wondering if maybe they should go back to the hotel since it was obvious Phade wasn't in the hunting spirit anymore.

"No." Sam shook his head. "We still have that College to check out."

"Let's go." Dean moved off keys in hand.

 **W**

The College loomed into view, the tall buildings outlined in the moonlight, somehow seeming cold and menacing. They drove in, the car engine sounding overly loud in the quiet streets even though some of the kids were out obviously drinking and partying. Campus police just drove past unconcerned and let the revelers continue. They pulled up to a large building with some windows lit even at the lateness of the evening.

Dean leaned over looking up at the building. "Edmonton Hall." He read then his eyes followed a couple of coeds skipping down the steps with giggles. He turned to Sam with a stupid grin. "You should feel right at home Sammy."

Sam ignored him and quietly got out not exactly sure what to say. He'd been at Stanford four years with a clear idea of what his future was going to look like especially with-. Then Dean came looking for him to help him find Dad and now… Now he was in the family business. He'd always intended to go back and finish school but now he wasn't so sure he would or that he still wanted to.

"What else you dig up?" Dean asked. Sam pulled away from his thoughts and concentrated on remembering what he'd read from the newspapers.

"The girls started disappearing just after the school was completed. There were no witnesses, signs of struggle, no threatening calls before hand or for ransom either."

"They just up and disappeared one day?" Phade asked sounding skeptical as they headed up the front steps. It was possible for one or even two just to leave, not that it made sense but for _all_ of them?

"Not in the day, spooks get you at night." Dean said. He tried to do the spooky 'boo' sound and at her impatient sigh started with the theme from 'Psycho'.

"Yeah, that's scary. Oooh…" Phade made a face and turned to Sam completely ignoring Dean's continued antics. She refused to be drawn into any argument with him; she didn't even want to think of how like the boy from _Indiana_ he still was.

Seeing he wasn't gonna get a response Dean gave it up and followed them up the stairs into Edmonton Hall.

"Then what?"

"The bodies were found on the schools playing field a few weeks after they disappear." Sam hesitated clearing his throat before he decided to reveal the last bit of information. From his jacket he pulled out a clipping, which Dean took. Phade moved closer and looked over his shoulder from the top step as he read.

"7th victim was sexually assaulted, her tongue was cut out and her body left at UJC playing field. The body was discovered by the groundskeeper in the early morning." Dean sighed looking up at his brother. Phade made a sound and both brothers noticed her pale face.

"What's the problem? Weak stomach all of a sudden?" Dean asked opening the door for them. All three stepped inside the hall.

"No." Phade replied quietly. She turned searching for anything that would blot out the current scene in her mind. A girl butchered, blood all over her face, a hand stretched out for help that would never arrive and a black figure deep in shadows that even _she_ couldn't see. "No, this is different."

"How so?" Sam asked quietly. Both followed her up the stairs to the 3rd floor, there was a balcony which overlooked the foyer and the doors. She stopped there and looked over the side thinking about what she'd seen since joining AI.

"What I hunt, the demons and vampires, they don't affect my world, abnormal as it." Her lips lifted in a half smile barely glancing at them. "I don't see mutilated human corpses or have to speak to their relatives or question their friends." She gave brief thanks for that little mercy. "I don't have to deal with a raped girl whose corpse is left on display for some poor fool to find her. My demons just want to bring about an apocalypse or kill Angel or me or some other demon because we got in the way or they're just pissed at us." Phade shrugged, her eyes focused somewhere over the railing.

"You get used to it-." Sam began only Phade cut him off.

"No, Sam. You _can't ever_ get used to it." She turned to face them again. "I don't know how you guys do it." Both were so different in personality as well as physically yet somehow they were the same. "I really don't. Your job's harder than mine."

There was an awkward silence after that. Each one lost in their own thoughts as they looked about the 3rd floor. There was another hall branching off from the main balcony and another set of stairs leading to the 4th and last floor.

 **W**

"The end of the world, Apocalypse?" Dean asked. Phade half smiled nodding as they all headed back down to the foyer. For having found very little to go on Dean was in a better mood than usual.

"Yeah but Buffy already stopped two of them and died." Phade suddenly realized that Sunnydale was a HellMouth therefore would have plenty of hauntings for the Winchester's to take care of. She opened her mouth to say that when Dean cut in.

"Buffy?" he asked. "Who names their kid Buffy?"

"You're an ass." Phade stated matter of factly.

"What? I'm just saying-." He shrugged already holding the door open. Everyone filed out and down the stairs.

"Buffy's the Sunnydale Slayer. She kills the vampires and whatever else has the bright idea of hunting at the HellMouth. It's pretty much her job, calling really."

"Calling?" Sam asked and Phade realized she hadn't told them about Buffy being the Slayer or what that was.

"Oh boy…" she sighed getting in the car. She waited for Dean to start the engine before continuing. "It's kinda like a destiny. She was next in line so when the previous Slayer died the power of all the Slayers that ever were passed on to her. It goes; 'For every generation one is chosen to fight the evils of the world… yada yada yada.' Which is why Slayers don't live long, hence the dying, twice." She held up two fingers which they didn't see since she was in the back seat.

"Oh." Sam sounded confused and Dean was wondering why they'd never heard of this before.

"So she's dead?" Dean asked.

"Buffy?" Phade snorted as if it were funny. "No, she's still slaying but I'm sure she won't mind if you guys go hunting in Sunnydale. Plenty to go around I'm sure since it's the HellMouth."

"HellMouth?" Sam asked.

"How did she die twice?" Dean wanted to know.

"First time I think she drowned. The last she flew into a hell portal that was letting in monsters from another dimension and fell 14 stories to the ground."

"You just said she's still slaying." Sam reminded with a glance in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah she sure is, last time we heard." Phade replied with another shrug. All of this was just a little weird and so far the guys were handling it fine.

"She died!" Dean exclaimed obviously not as fine as she'd thought. So she tried patience and self-control when speaking to him.

"Yes and now she's alive again. I don't question it alright. Life is much easier when you don't."

 **W**


	2. Chapter 2

The gates were at least ten feet high, topped with barbed wire and chained closed with a padlock. Why? Neither of them knew the answer but in order to take a look at the field they had to get past the lock. The brothers looked at each other mostly annoyed but resigned to the work ahead.

"Break it or pick it?" Dean asked personally opting for the breaking but Sam shook his head.

"We don't want to let anyone know we were here." Sam reached in his back pocket for the lock picks as Phade calmly reached between them for the lock.

"Let me-." Sam began as the lock popped open in her hand.

"What the hell!" Dean exclaimed yanking her hand away from the lock. Phade didn't bat an eyelash at his heavy handed manner. She didn't even pull away from him; just let Dean keep hold of her wrist. The chain rattled loudly in the still night. Phade arched an eyebrow looking calm.

"How di- what?"

"I swear you're more likely to have a heart attack than die chasing some ghost." Phade shook her head lightly pulling her wrist from his grasp. "It's a little spell. One to open since you guys don't want to leave any tracks and I doubt you'd be able to get over that." She nodded upwards and once again they inspected the barbed wire at the top of the fence. Sam chuckled pulling the chain out as Dean grumbled.

"Spells. No good ever came of spells."

"If you want," Phade threw over her shoulder as she followed Sam. "I can lock it again and let you do your thing." she smiled ignoring his glowering stare. Something about pushing his buttons just appealed to her considering he turned a light shade of pink which he couldn't hide even at night.

"Show off, _I can lock it again_ … my ass." Dean muttered following the two into the darkened field.

"She's really not the same girl." Sam agreed softly as they began to search the field. Phade noticed they held some electronic beeping machines but didn't bother asking what they were. She sighed glancing at the sky and walked along the field staying aligned with them but far enough their conversation didn't reach her ears. The last thing she wanted was to listen to more bickering or questions about _Indiana_ and _Fort_ _High_. The beeping continued, seeming to float on the light wind, annoying her until she increased her pace and left the Winchester's to their investigation. The night wind picked up blowing coldly against her face which made Phade wrap her arms around herself. It grew colder the further she walked which only served to confuse her. This was California, the sunshine state, of beaches and warm weather yet here she was practically freezing.

Phade flinched at the sudden iciness on her neck. She wiped the spot jerking left as another touched on her cheek. A shiver went through her hearing the whisper of a woman's voice. Her brow furrowed searching the darkness for the woman she heard but there was nothing. Phade's frown deepened unable to see anything in the gathering night. She knew she was not blind, knew this was not normal, that it couldn't be this dark but -.

"Guys?" her voice echoed sounding far off until it returned, gentle at first then a little louder, muffled. She concentrated on the words trying to pick out what they were saying because she could hear the chorus of voices all raised together.

"Sam," her voice, hesitant sounded hollow.

"Dean?" there was no response other than the loud chorus rising louder and louder until she clapped both hands to her ears.

 **W**

"Sam?" Dean's voice called but he was already facing the same direction. The Geiger's were going crazy and as he looked up there was a cold wind that swept through the field. They flinched from the sudden cold hissing a breath at the sight of so many orbs spinning around Phade.

"Souls…" Dean's breath left a puff of cold air floating in front of him. He could count on one hand the times he'd seen something like that. Twice before and then with John leading the hunt but there hadn't been so many souls present.

"The murdered girls…?" Sam wondered glancing at his brother but Dean was engrossed in the sight of so many souls. He turned back feeling the warm air return suddenly.

Phade pulled strands of black hair from her face looking around slightly confused and panicked. The voices of the women still echoed in her head but she still had no idea what they were saying.

"What the hell was that?" she cried out hurrying from the green patch and towards the brothers. They looked at each other again sharing a silent understanding.

 **W**


	3. Chapter 3

They hadn't stopped asking her question or looking at her and even though she kept saying she had no idea what had happened out there Phade knew they didn't believe her.

' _That's too bad cuz I'm not saying shit.'_ And she didn't. Phade sat back with her arms crossed staring out the window until they let her out at the Hyperion. She went inside ignoring the guys as they trudged up the front steps behind her. She heard them hesitate in the lobby watching her go to her desk. A moment later they moved off their feet thumping up the stairs. Phade chanced a peek toward the front doors but they were gone so she let out a heavy sigh feeling the cold still in her bones. She rubbed her hands together to get some warmth as she walked towards the counter. The light was blinking on the answering machine which meant they had messages. Phade sighed again and pushed the button. Ever since she'd come back they were in full business mode. People and beast's kept calling having some demon or other to deal with and who better to get rid of their little problems than AI? The machine beeped and the raspy voice of a customer came through. Ten minutes later Phade had a note pad with the first couple of pages full. Name, address, contact number and a brief description of the job. Skimming through it she shook her head at the beasts coming out of the woodwork these days.

"Who ever heard of a slarg?" she muttered heading upstairs tiredly. She had work in the morning and she'd get it all done too but she wasn't going to miss out on the guys sending that demon packing. Phade was definitely clearing her appointments for that event.

 **W**

Sam and Dean headed out early the next morning deciding to go back to the University and ask some questions. They drove in silence each one holding a Styrofoam cup which filled the car with the smell of coffee. Dean sighed lowering his cup and rolled his shoulders a little. The cot was beginning to get to him which reminded Dean he still had a pending conversation with Phade and not just about the incident at the field.

"You really think those were the souls?" Sam reclined in his seat with his eyes half closed. Dean slid his eyes back to the road wondering why his little brother always looked so kick back, why he didn't look as tired as Dean felt, why the hopelessness of their situation, of the job didn't show on Sam but he didn't say anything. What was the point?

"Don't know." Dean replied taking another sip of his cup. He could see their exit coming up and began changing lanes. Sam didn't stir just lay back, eyes closed… Dean eyed the full cup in his brother's slack hand. It was still more than half full and tipped slightly so the liquid sloshed onto the lid. Dean smiled wickedly keeping his eyes on the road ahead but checking on Sam out of the corner of his eye. He let off on the gas letting the Impala slow by itself while up ahead the light changed to bright red.

' _Oh he's gonna feel this one.'_ Dean thought.

There were three cars ahead of him already stopped at the light and the Impala wasn't slowing down fast enough. The red lights got bigger the closer he got to the rear bumpers and seeing them closing in fast Dean finally slammed the brakes. Sam pitched forward only kept from hitting the windshield because he was wearing his seat belt. His eyes flew open staring out the windshield when his hand stung painfully. The burning spread over his thighs as well though in much lesser degree.

"Aagh! What the-?" Sam exclaimed holding the cup away from his body too late to keep the scalding liquid from burning him, he turned narrow glittering eyes on Dean who, by some miracle wasn't covered in hot coffee. Dean pointed in front of them at the now moving vehicles holding the coffee.

"The idiot just hit the brakes." He said with an apologetic look. Then he ran his green eyes over Sam. "You look like you pissed your pants, Sammy."

Sam didn't reply somehow _knowing_ Dean had done it on purpose. He gave his older brother a withering glare then reached for the towel they carried under the seat and began to wipe himself as best he could.

Dean hid his satisfied grin behind the coffee cup taking another swig of his lightly sweetened beverage.

' _It's going to be a good day, today.'_ Dean thought.

 **W**

"Now where?" He asked stepping next to his brother as they both looked at the building in front of them.

"We ask questions." Sam replied matter of fact then started walking to Edmonton Hall. They brushed past a couple of girls skipping down the stairs. They were laughing but took the opportunity of looking over the new meat.

"Wonder who the tall one is?" the smaller red head said loudly enough that both brothers heard. Dean smirked looking up at Sam.

"Not me, I like the other one." The curvy blond smiled looking Dean over again. "Something about a guy in leather…" she trailed off as the girls ran laughing down the block. Dean puffed up grin widening as they entered the doubled glass pane doors. Sam just shook his head recognizing the type of girls that had just blown past them.

"They're out of your league, Dean." Sam thought how similar the kids at UJC were to the ones at Stanford. Dean, how ever had a different thought going through his mind. He scowled at his brother wondering what was wrong with him that a hot little blond college girl wouldn't like?

"Why, brainiac? You think just because I didn't go to college like you some-."

"Dean, that's not what I meant, man." Sam somehow found himself trying to explain the inner workings of University social groups. "Those girls, they don't care-."

"There's nothing wrong with not going to college, Sam." Dean fumed stomping up the stairs, the same ones they had traipsed up last night with Phade tucked between both guys. "I'm pretty sure Phade didn't go to college-."

"What? Dean those girls are _nothing_ like Phade!" Sam exclaimed. He couldn't even compare the two because Phade was not only different there was something else about the woman she was that made her a bit of a mystery especially when he didn't know much about her. What they did know of her life was so out of the norm and the unexpected she just stood out in their mind. "Why'd you even bring her up-?"

"You're getting off the subject!" Dean growled wondering why he'd even mentioned her in the first place. It was too early in the morning to be thinking about her and- and- well just her! Why she did the things she did and why they were in LA in the first place because all Sam had said was 'Go west'. "You think I'm not-."

"Dean!" Sam grabbed his brother's arm pulling him out of the flow of people. "Those girls aren't like regular girls."

"Funny, they look the same to me." Dean retorted yanking out of Sam's hold.

"They're not. Those girls, Dean, are like…" he looked up and around them trying to think of a word that best fit them but for once his brain failed to produce the information he wanted. "Like leeches or even incubi." He said lamely but trying valiantly to get his brother to understand. "They use you, suck you dry and leave you broken, lifeless without remorse. They are freaking cold hearted- Sorority Girls!"

There was silence at the end of his diatribe and Dean's face was unreadable. Somehow that last sentence just echoed through the small enclave and Dean's lips twitched. Sam's face was just so openly earnest and Dean knew his brother hadn't meant to sound as if he were some how less because he lacked a college education. Hell, Dean had never expected to go to college in the first place and the way their lives ended up pretty much seemed natural.

"You got one, didn't you?" Dean smirked. Sam's face registered confusion then surprise until he frowned. He didn't say a word as he turned away from Dean and headed down the hall to the last victims dorm mate.

"Come on, Sammy. You got one of them barracudas, didn't you?" Dean said following his brother but there was no response and Sam wasn't going to answer that question.

 **W**

Dean made his way through stacks of library tomes regarding the schools history, the alumni and its staff without much luck. Except for the picture of Professor J. Amelia Garcia-Alvarez and a short bio on her there was nothing else that had to do with the disappearances. He sighed closing the latest book in a series of unhelpful books and gathered the sheets he'd copied stuffing them into the manila file before getting to his feet. The low buzz of conversations flowed around him softly and not for the first time did the older Winchester wonder why any sane person would _want_ to add another 6 to 8 years on the already required 12 of school. He pushed his chair into the table and slowly wove through the tables hoping Sam had made out better with the room mate.

"I heard they found her tongue sticking out of the gash on her neck." The low whisper drew some horrified gasps from girls at the table.

"Nah, dude. I heard she was cut up into pieces." Another male voice replied. It sounded like any other bunch of kids trying to scare their girlfriends into putting out. Dean began to move away ignoring the guffaws and soft voiced taunting when a third voice grabbed his attention.

"You guys don't know, do you?"

"Know what, Cecile?"

' _Yeah, Cecile. Tell 'em what you know.'_ Dean urged mentally as he pretended to scan the books in front of him. There was some shuffling and the creaking of chairs as the group huddled closer to listen. Dean had to lean into the bookshelf in order to hear them too. He was rewarded with the girl's soft voice slowly spinning the tale of the man in shadows.

"Before the school was ever built, they say there was a grove of trees here-."

"There were trees everywhere back then Cecile."

"Shut your trap, Roy.!"

"Yeah, zip it!"

"I agree." Dean mumbled frowning at Roy for interrupting Cecile's story. From his tiny crack between the books he had a clear view of the study group. Two girls, Cecile was a pale little brown haired thing and next to her sat a little brunette. Roy was obviously the gawkiest of the three males with curling brown hair.

"Not like these, they were old trees, ancient. Anyway, the story goes that a rich man from across the ocean came to the Americas and headed west before any one heard of gold. He bought land and began building a grand house. His workers came to a Grove of trees, very old and beautiful, always in full bloom. The workers didn't want to cut them down so they worked around the Grove until the rich man, a widower, ordered the Grove taken down. The workers, unable to hide the fact that they had been working around the old trees finally began felling them. That first night they had terrible dream but the next morning they all returned to the Grove. One fell in convulsions upon the first strike of his ax. The men recoiled in fright, none daring to touch the stricken man.

It was a warning they said, the Grove was protected as old trees were won't to be but the rich man would hear none of it and ordered the work to continue. He used force to get them going again and that night many more fell ill. By the end of the first week the small Grove was reduced to a couple of trees and many of the workers lay dead." There was a deep sigh as if Cecile was getting tired but she drew a breath and continued. "The story spread far, as fast as any wild fire and no where could the man find any workers willing to cut down the remaining trees or finish his house. Angry with the peasants he hurled insults cursing them for fools and took up the ax himself. He felled the remaining trees cursing and yelling with every stroke.

When the last tree fell scattering flowers from its branches the rich man lay staring up at the blue sky with no idea of how he came to lie on the grass.

The spirits danced around him scattering petals over his body until he lay covered. He tried to move, to wipe the petals from his face but couldn't lift a finger let alone raise a hand. A spirit spoke to him whispering in his ear-."

"What'd it say?" Roy asked leaning in as close as the others. Cecile and the rest of the group gave Roy dirty looks hissing for him to shut up.

"The spirit whispered close to his ear and as the words coursed through his mind the petals began to turn brown and die crinkling into a black mass over the dead man." Cecile sighed sitting back in her chair and glancing at the faces around the table. "They say his soul was tormented by the spirits of the Grove and no one dared go there, he wasn't even buried."

' _There goes the salting the bones idea.'_ Dean grumbled in his mind.

"As time passed the story was forgotten. It's supposed to have happened here."

"How do you know?" Roy asked. Dean was beginning not to like the guy and glowered at the gawky College kids back.

"I don't but the story says the rich man went as far west as the ocean would allow. How much further could he go?" Cecile asked waving her hands in the general direction of the ocean,

"Who'd you hear this from?" the little brunette next to her asked.

"My Great-Grams. She loved old tales and she lived here most of her life. Probably heard it from some one else. I'm not even sure it's true."

"So what's it got to do with Janine?" the brawnier guy in the group asked. Dean scribbled the girls name on the manila folder and the names of the other two, Cecile and Roy. Maybe later he'd be able to question them,

"His wife was murdered, the rich guys. It was said her throat was slashed and her tongue cut out."

"Gruesome." The other guy said but the tone of his voice didn't sound like he was grossed out.

"Just like Janine…" Roy muttered. The group was silent each kid lost in their own thoughts; personally Dean thought Cecile did one hell of a job telling a story. She got him seeing the events in his minds eye-.

"All right." the little brunette said sitting up in her chair and pulling a book in front of the group. "Old tales or Tall tales they are still fairytales and Professor Gruver isn't going to give us a passing grade if we try and pass off that as our theme for the paper."

There were grumbles as the rest of the study group got back to work. Dean took that as his cue to get Sam and find out about ancient killer ghosts.

"What fun." He muttered heading out of the library barely sparing it a glance. It just wasn't his idea of a good time.

 **W**


	4. Chapter 4

Sam had no idea how he ended up in a situation most guys would love to be in but he could see what his first mistake had been.

Sasha Dumont opened the door on the second knock and waited patiently as Sam gave her his cover story. He was a reporter doing a story on the recent murders centered on the university. He wanted to ask her a few questions and maybe it would be possible for him to look at some of Janine's personal belongings. Sasha nodded not particularly interested but 'moved' a reporter would do a piece on her 'very close friend' and dorm mate. She led him towards the twin beds and answered his questions while he looked through some things. When he finally faced the curvy red head she was sitting on the edge of the twin bed twirling a shiny lock between her fingers. She stared at Sam her eyes traveling slowly over his 6ft frame, lingering on the defined muscles of his chest and abs before slowly gliding down the rest of his body clearly appreciating the view.

Sam cleared his throat beginning to feel uncomfortable. The girl had looked a little sad her eyes had a shimmer of tears, which was quickly blinked away. He looked at the small dorm room remembering his first year of College. He'd shared the cramped space with a huge guy called Moose, not very original but that's what he went by. A 5'9" curly haired 200 lb guy who sweat continuously which made the small room unbearable to sleep in. Moose wasn't exactly the clean type so the stench only worsened and then Sam had found the add.

"She told me once," Sasha's voice became huskier if that were even possible and her eyes shimmered with new tears. Sam jerked his brain back to the situation at hand and leaned closer intent on the information she was about to impart. "A man was following her."

"Did she know who he was?" Sam shifted nervously as Sasha slowly got to her feet. In retrospect he could see that had been his second mistake.

"No." Sasha raised a hand to her breast the other to her mouth and lowered her head. "Who would do such a thing?"

Sam didn't know what to say and then he made his last mistake. The nice guy in him felt badly for the girl who obviously tried not to cry and had answered all his questions. She'd given him the opportunity to look through the dead girl's things, not that there was much in the three boxes piled neatly in the corner and now that he was done Sasha was crying.

Sam gently folded her in his arms to comfort her and got a little more than he bargained for.

 _'What have I done?'_ Sam wondered thirty minutes later as the curvy red head lay next to him, both panting.

She lay back smiling and a soft giggle escaped her while Sam just closed his eyes letting his body relax among the tangled sheets and clothes.

 **W**

Dean waited by the car outwardly calm and unworried looking as if he were just an ordinary College guy waiting for- someone. It wouldn't have been difficult to blend in except for the glint in his eyes and the body language. Something about the way he moved just screamed ' _Danger'_ and most women the brothers had come across gravitated towards Dean because of it. So it was more than a little annoying that Phade hadn't so much as given him a second glance let alone seemed to like him. It was driving Dean nuts, trying to figure out why after ten years she _still_ didn't fall over him.

 _'I don't smell.'_

Dean sniffed his shirt just to make sure but only found the soft baby powder scent.

 _'Why'd she have to use baby powder fresh?'_ he grumbled then again she had done them a favor by washing their clothes. The best part of that was she even ironed them! Who did that anymore?

"I love her mother." Dean smiled wondering what the lady had been like because he knew she was no longer around. It was about the only thing Phade had told him though she hadn't said when or how.

Sam bounded up to the Impala out of breath, face flushed, clothes mussed up and buttons in the wrong holes. Dean's eyes narrowed into slits as he took in Sam's appearance noticing his unlaced shoes.

"It's a wonder you didn't trip." He snapped. "You find anything useful?" Dean didn't add the thoughts going through his mind because for once his little brother got the girl.

He went around to the driver's side and got in. Then again if Dean had been with Sam there was no question as to who would be buttoning up in the car. Sam got in quickly tying his shoelaces as the door slammed closed.

"Yeah, she was being followed by a man only she never saw his face. It could'v-."

"You're fly's down." Dean interrupted his brother's slightly breathless explanation, straight faced though inside he was picturing his little brother sauntering across campus baring the red and blue boxers he was wearing. Sam glanced down confused as the engine turned over. Seeing that his fly was indeed down and flashing the bright patches of his underwear groaned wondering what else could go wrong as he zipped up.

Dean's grin was enough of a warning and the rest of the ride was spent fielding questions from his nosy older brother.

 **W**

Phade stopped at the Winchester's room raising her hand to knock and hesitated. She'd promised Dean a better room and it was time to follow through but she didn't want to deal with the questions they would _try_ asking again. Before she could loose her nerve Phade drew a deep breath and knocked. She could hear them inside suddenly very quiet and it annoyed her, being able to hear so clearly what was going on and knowing she could peek in their minds, it was all too unsettling suddenly.

"It's just me." she snapped hearing the lock click before the door swung open. Dean leaned on the door a tight smile on his face. Seeing her there only made it worse, the not knowing why she didn't like him. He looked in her brown eyes and saw the hesitation. Dean wondered if she was coming to tell them about the orbs and couldn't decide whether to get his room taken care of before anything else got in the way.

"There's something I've been meaning to talk-." He began only to have Phade raise a hand and dangle a set of keys in his face.

"Got your suite all ready." She said to the now silent Winchester. Now that he had what he wanted Dean didn't know what to do so he stood in the doorway like a statue while Phade stared at him expectantly. Sam came up behind him a smile on his face realizing it was his turn to torture his older brother.

"You need a little push in the right direction or you just don't want the suite?" Phade grumbled lowering the keys. "Make up your mind quick cuz I still have some business to take care of."

Sam nudged Dean who quickly reached for the keys in her hand. "No-Yeah! Yes, it's about time I got my room." He tried a frown but couldn't manage a genuine scowl until her next words registered in his brain. "What?"

Phade huffed a breath impatient with the green-eyed nuisance. "It's a suite. Two bedrooms so get your gear and come on." Seeing that Dean wasn't moving she used her authorative tone. "Move it mister."

Dean scowled but went to grab his duffel, which Sam had already stuffed with his meager belongings. He threw it over his shoulder as Sam finished packing his stuff and each grabbed a set of papers before trailing behind Phade down another hall and up a second set of stairs.

 **W**

"They were all brunettes between 5'1" and 5'6", different ethnicities, the ages vary though." Sam turned to face his brother who was busy looking out the window. "Youngest was 19 the oldest 36, a professor at UJC. The file's here…" he trailed off looking for the manila folder Dean had brought from the library.

"Our ghost has a preference for brunettes." Dean stated humorlessly as he went to the large table sitting in the middle of the suite. It wasn't like Phade's apartment, not nearly as large or nice but he could smell the pine sol she'd used to clean the one bathroom and the carpet cleaner. Once again there was the scent of flowers and baby powder all around.

"But why?" Sam lifted the file and flipped it open. "All these women had different lives; they had nothing else in common besides attending the same university."

"Why kill them?" Sam wondered out loud. The brothers shared a look but Dean had no idea why the ghost was killing these women and the memory of Phade surrounded by the orbs surfaced again. He still hadn't questioned her about that even though he could tell she knew something. She had been too quiet on the return not rising to any of his jibes when she usually would've snapped something equally barbed.

She was a completely different person, not at all like the quiet girl he would observe around the _Indiana_ campus. That girl had barely said a word- not that her eyes didn't have plenty to say but that's what had Dean's attention. He couldn't figure out why she let them-.

"Pull up all their pictures, alumni photos." Dean ordered walking over to Sam. Seeing the faces pop up on the screen both guys noticed all the women had some similarities besides skin tones and hair color. The women had some facial similarities as well. Around the eyes and some of them were full lipped…

"They all resemble each other to some degree." Sam mumbled frowning at the pictures. Dean had a hunch and seeing all ten photos he reached around Sam and clicked on the high school site. The smiling girl popped up among the other victims and somehow the pieces began to fit.

"Here's the next victim." Dean said quietly. He straightened but didn't take his eyes from the screen. This time the image of Phade surrounded by the orbs made sense and it filled him with foreboding. It had been the dead girls' souls and Dean would bet his life that had been a warning for her.

"Where is she?" Sam asked looking up at Dean who shrugged. He did get a slightly panicked feel but ignored it and concentrated on trying to stop the ghost. The last murder had been a month ago, which meant they had a couple of days before the ghost made its move. Dean formed the basics of a plan.

"First thing we do is take turns watching her. She knows something's wrong and she's not telling us. Probably thinks she can handle this so we let her keep thinking that while you find something else on this thing." Dean headed to the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam sat up not completely agreeing with the plan but there was nothing else to go on.

"Getting a new room for the night." Dean replied opening the door. "Across from her place."

Sam sighed knowing that wasn't a good idea. Phade would tear him apart if she found out he was spying on her or she might do worse if she found him hiding across the hall from her door.

"Maybe we should check on her first?"

 **W**

Phade walked into the lobby unable to shake the cold feeling in her bones ever since the night before. All day she'd been followed around by some man but she'd never been able to get a good look at him. There were always some shadows to hide him and it was worse at night. Phade could barely get a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eyes. She sighed in relief closing the Hyperion's door behind her and headed to her desk. She had tons of paper work to do even though she was only down to the fourth job on her list. Not that there were many more since Wes was doing his part by muscling in on her calls. He'd already managed to steal three away from AI!

She clicked the mouse and the computer screen blinked showing her log on screen. Phade absently reached for the small radio and flicked it on. The low sounds of music were interrupted by the dj but Phade paid no attention to the commercial. She clicked through some files and finally opened a clean sheet where she began to enter the night's information. She was halfway through the form when Phade noticed the quietness of the lobby. She glanced away from the computer frowning at the darkness suddenly feeling nervous. Her ears picked up on the heavy sounds of breathing and turned searching for the source. The frown deepened upon hearing the lack of music, which she hadn't noticed, was not playing from the radio. Phade reached for the stations button when the heavy breaths intensified. Her eyes widened at what she clearly knew was _not_ possible. Her hand slapped down on the off button quickly recoiling and the breaths stopped.

 _'I'm stupid if I'm going to let this scare me.'_ Phade told herself beginning to steel herself against the thoughts threatening to drown her. These were kids' tricks, things a woman her age having seen the things she'd seen wouldn't and couldn't be frightened by. She turned back to the screen and the heavy breaths came again causing her to jerk towards the radio. Phade shook her head not willing to let the situation and the things happening get the better of her. Hadn't she fought off demons with her bare hands? She'd hunted down vampires and left little piles of ash in her wake! Was she seriously going to let some ghost spook her?

As if in answer to her silent question the labored breaths began to sound like a series of unintelligible words. Phade caught herself trying to discern them and hastily reached down yanking the plug out of the wall. The cable tore slightly which meant the radio would be useless now and if she did manage to replace it would literally become a fire hazard. She sat back heaving a disturbed breath and tried to figure out what was going one because she really hadn't heard some sicko perverted voice panting at her through the radio?

Phade jerked upright again barely able to choke down the gasp, as the pants grew louder.

"No way!" Phade exclaimed shoving away from her desk and getting to her feet. Her eyes stared horrified at the little desktop radio which was unplugged yet still wouldn't stop emitting that horrible sound. The voice grew louder still unintelligible but insistent. He wanted something from her.

"No." Phade stumbled back from the desk shaking her head negatively and bumped into the counter. She jumped startled by the cool marble top touching her back and deciding her files could wait until morning she beat a hasty retreat.

Phade didn't hear the brothers come into the lobby. She scrambled around the counter turning towards the stairs when she smacked into a solid shape. She let out a yelp of surprise putting her arms in front of herself in defense. At first she thought the shadow man had finally coalesced into a real flesh and blood man but the arms enfolding her were warm and confusingly gentle. It made no sense in her frightened mind and Phade pulled away or tried to but her forward dash had been so panicked the force of her momentum knocked the solid chest in front of her back.

Dean tightened his hold on Phade feeling her try to pull out of his arms even as their bodies started to fall over. He tried to keep them up but somehow her foot tangled with his tripping him. With his added weight pulling them to the floor there was no way to stop the fall. He braced himself for the impact holding Phade in front of him so he would take the brunt of it. Dean thought this was very nice of him considering she was the one knocking them over in the first place. The reality hurt and having Phade land on top of him didn't help, not that she was that heavy but kinetic energy and all that added to gravity…

"Oomph!" Dean let out and explosive breath releasing his hold on the soft body on top of him. Phade sucked in a sharp breath slapping both hands on either side of Dean's shoulders. Her left knee banged into the floor. She dropped her head onto his chest hissing in pain. Taking a deep breath she looked up. His green eyes stared into hers with that devilish glint she had come to associate with his 'slick Dean' side. The side he used to try and charm the girls, which obviously worked on the stupid ones, at least the ones she'd seen him gabbing with.

"Don't." Phade growled seeing the beginnings of a smile on his lips as he opened his mouth for some stupid comment.

"What?" he asked raising his eyebrows at her… order? Because that's what it had sounded like. She scrambled off him quickly letting Sam help her up and once on her feet Phade tugged on her clothes in an effort to cover the large amount of exposed skin. For once she felt uncomfortable in her hunting uniform. The black leather vest dipped too low giving a great view of her assets and too short to cover her bare midriff while the leather pants rested low on her hips clinging to every curve. For the moment the main thought in her brain was; _'Why? Why did I get Mom's body? Did I really need all these girly curves?'_

Dean was scowling as he got up, his patience was wearing thin with her and though he usually had a thing about fighting with girls, as in _Not_ fighting with them, Dean was at the end of his rope.

"You knock into me and send us to the floor where _I_ take the brunt of the-."

"Dean." Sam warned trying to get his brother to calm down but Dean wasn't going to stop.

"Thanks would be nice, Phade because I pretty much took the-."

"Thanks?" Phade interrupted throwing a glance over her shoulder at the desk and broken radio before frowning at Dean. "I'm supposed to thank you for taking me down with you? Ok, fine!" Phade pushed past the guys not wanting to stay in the lobby anymore. "Thanks, you happy now?"

"No." Dean grabbed her arm yanking Phade around and that was about as rough as he was going to get with her. He reined in his growing frustration and let her pull her arm out of his grip. "I'm not happy. That's not what I want."

"That's all you're getting." Phade ground out moving away from Dean. His green eyes darkened and the strong jaw clenched in anger. She was pissing him off and he was doing a great job of keeping his cool which only upset her more. Phade wanted the focus away from her self, she wanted to be alone and as soon as that thought went into her head she realized that was the last thing she really wanted. Being alone wasn't the best idea but the only company she had were the Winchester's.

 _'Where the hell is Ryan when I need him?'_

But did she need him? Did she really need a man to brush away the scary ghost and those freaky sounds? Hadn't she done well for herself without depending on some man? Why was she suddenly so eager to let a man handle her troubles?

"What happened? Why were you running?" Sam asked gently. Those big brown puppy dog eyes so innocently earnest pulled deeply at her core. She wanted to tell him, let them take care of this whole haunted thing with spirits and ghosts and just leave her out of it.

Was this normal? To hear creepy voices out of unplugged radios, to have voices swirling around you trying to tell you something and unable to understand any of it?

"Nothing." Phade pulled away from Sam, emotionally as well as physically. She didn't need help, didn't need anybody but herself and she was taking care of the freaky ghost. Nothing was that big and scary. It had to be in her head…

"That's krap!" Dean ground out getting closer. "You know something and you're not saying. What is it, Phade? What did they tell you?" he asked leaning towards her, green eyes boring into hers as if he could see into her. The thought jarred her into motion and Phade straightened into her full 5'2", turned blazing brown eyes on the Winchester's and let out some of her fright.

"Nobody told me anything! I don't know what you're talking about and before you start getting on my last nerve I'm going to bed!" Phade turned away ignoring their protests. She tried not to question how it was that Dean knew the ghost was trying to talk to her. Was it trying to communicate? And why with her? Why couldn't it go haunt somebody else-.

"Phad-."

"NO!" she ran up the stairs lightly yelling down into the lobby. "I don't want to hear another question out of you two. Bugger off!"

 **W**

 _'Bugger off?'_

Phade groaned resting her back against the big oak door.

"I can't believe I said that." She let out a heavy breath feeling her body grow more tired every second she was on her feet. So many things kept happening, things she couldn't begin to understand and wasn't sure she knew how to get rid of. How did you kill something that was already dead? If it was a vampire she had a quick answer. You stake it in the heart and all that was left was a pile of ash. Ghosts, however were not her forte and that's were the Winchester's came in. This was their job, their calling so to speak. If anyone could get rid of a ghost or evil spirit it was them.

Only Phade wasn't talking.

"Why don't I say anything?" she muttered pushing off the door and heading to her bedroom. Her fingers deftly unbuttoned the vest shifting her arms so the leather slipped off her shoulders. The black swatch dropped on the foot bench of her bed along with the belt and two daggers. Phade sat and pulled off her boots slipping the hidden daggers out of the straps and laying them with the others beside her.

Thoughts of Sebastián and what he might be doing entered her mind. She smiled sadly wondering how he looked now, if he was doing better in school. The tears pushed at the back of her eyes and Phade quickly stood up heading to the bathroom for a shower. His letters still sat unopened inside the drawer of the living room table. All she knew was what her Dad told her on the rare occasion that she called him. He knew how much it hurt, what Dante did was unforgivable but he had to swallow his hurt and be civil to the bastard that hurt his baby girl. He did it for her because Phade wanted him near her son, wanted someone that still cared about the little boy to offer what love and support Sebastián needed. It was his duty as granddad to spoil his grandson and it was his duty as her Father to protect her as well.

Mr. Vartan didn't agree with his daughter's decision to stay away, to completely cut them out of her life. Yes, it hurt and yes, it was unbearable the way they treated her, as if she were some criminal but a boy needed his Mother.

 _"I can't, Daddy." Phade's voice wavered and her eyes filled with tears which she valiantly tried to suppress. "They let him-. I just can't do this anymore."_

 _"Jaden." His voice was stern so as not to let her know he sympathized. "He's a child. He's going to need his Mother-."_

 _"Dad please." She almost cried then. "Please, can't you see how much this hurts? I can't even hold him because they- they just-. It's not good for him. I don't want him to remember me in that sterile office with the big mirror and the psychiatrist" Phade threw her hands up in desperation at the stupidity of the whole situation. "Don't they get it? Don't they care what that can do to him?"_

 _He didn't want to say the law didn't always work that way. That the judges didn't really take into consideration a child's feeling in such things. Those lawyers, the ones Dante hired, had done their job more than well and he'd made sure they hurt his little girl as much as they could._

 _"You're just giving up?" Phade heard the note of disappointment in her Father's voice and for once some of that fire surfaced._

 _"What do you think I should do, Dad?" her eyes blazed as she glared at the old man. He was all she had left besides the little boy she called her heart. After everything that happened when she was a kid this was the least he could do._

 _"You think I haven't tried? You think I didn't do everything I could to keep this from happening?" she choked down her next words because her Father didn't know who Wolfram and Hart were. He didn't know what kind of 'office work' she did for Angel let alone the risks she took every day. Hadn't she told Lorne her Dad would have a heart attack for sure if he knew?_

 _"Que quieres que aga hija?" his voice sounded older to her more tired and when Phade glanced at him again she felt ashamed of her outburst. Here was this great old man still trying to take care of her in his old age when it should've been the other way around._

 _"Cuidelo, que no se olvide de mi."_ _Her voice cracked and finally the tears had trailed down her face._

Phade couldn't help thinking about that conversation and dropping the towel she pulled on her robe leaving her bedroom. She crossed the dark living room and hesitated by the hall table where Bastían's letters rested but she couldn't-.

Phade moved to the closed door off the dining room kitchen. Her hand rested on the cool door handle unwilling to turn it and unable to sleep. She rested her head on the wood, eyes closed and tried to remember what it was like before she came to the Hyperion. Life hadn't been that great, bouncing around from place to place looking for a new home and hoping that time would be the last. Finding this great big place had seemed like a miracle as if someone were actually watching over them.

"Here I am. Alone." her voice sounded hollowed out, emotionless. But that's how she felt. There was nothing left- hadn't she told Dean she didn't have anything? All she was, all she had been was tied to that little boy. What did she have without Sebastián?

Phade opened the door, eyes opening to the dark room but she saw it clearly. The bed was made, the pillows and his stuffed dragon right where he'd left them. There were some toys scattered over the floor were Bastían had been playing and the book they hadn't finished reading was on the dresser. She'd thought this time would be different, that after a year she would be able to go in his room but-. Phade couldn't move any further. It was as if a giant hand clamped down on her heart and squeezed it, feeling her child's absence like a physical pain.

The tears flowed again and her sobs were hushed, soft as a whisper even though she was alone. She didn't want anyone to hear her cry, to see her weakened and brought to her knees. Phade rested there crying until she felt her throat go dry and her chest begin to ache with the restrained cries. She was involved with her inner thoughts and pain that she never realized the temperature dropped slightly. The windows fogged up and the moonlight from the window dimmed just a little. She didn't see the shadowed man stand by the cream colored curtains hidden in shadows staring at her.

 **W**

Dean left the door open and sat staring at Phade's door. She might not like him, might not be happy to find him there if she came out early tomorrow morning but he was going to sit his ass down and make sure nothing went wrong. He was thinking of ways to get back at her, of the cold blast of water his first night at the Hyperion and how she'd probably been laughing her ass off imagining what that would have looked like. His face carried a heavy scowl at those thoughts so he didn't hear her at first. He wasn't sure what he heard in the first place so Dean stood and went to her door as quietly as he could.

His ear was pressed up against her door and the muffled sounds of someone crying brought a guilty look to his eyes. He hadn't done any thing wrong then again he'd just been imagining ways of getting her back. He'd been planning ways of playing tricks on her like he did Sam only she wasn't a guy. His dad's words echoed in his head once more sounding as if her were standing by Dean's shoulder.

 _"You never mess around with girls, Dean. Girls aren't like boys; you treat 'em with respect son."_

"Yes sir." Dean's voice was barely above a whisper and he quietly turned away from the door wondering what had made her cry.

 **W**


	5. Chapter 5

Dean was tired, he was in a bad mood and he hadn't eaten yet, all because he'd spent the night guarding her door while Sammy no doubt got some beauty rest. It was very early when he left his post, it was still earlier than he usually would've been up but he figured he'd be able to get some coffee and started downstairs. He'd seen the little coffee maker on the counter and that was his goal.

"Coffee and then we'll see." Dean muttered clomping down the stairs. He yawned stretching his arms over his head and almost missed a step. He grabbed the banister keeping his footing out of sheer tenacity when his eyes glided over the lobby. Dean frowned at what he thought he saw.

"You're never quiet are you, Dean?" Phade's voice drifted up to him. He shook off his surprise at seeing her in the lobby since he hadn't expected to find anyone up at that hour. It was barely past six in the morning.

"Only when I have to." He quipped heading towards her and when she emerged from the weapons cabinet he frowned. Phade buckled the strap of the thin satchel before closing the cabinet. She was wearing her hunting gear again which only meant one thing. "A bit early to go hunting isn't it?"

Phade shrugged unwilling to get into another argument. "Early bird and krap." She slipped the thin long sleeved blouse over her black tank then buttoned the vest over it. Dean watched her slip a slim case onto her belt then buckle it.

"I have a job to finish." Was all she said by way of explanation. It wasn't difficult to miss his scowl or the stubborn set of his jaw.

"Mind if I tag along?" Dean stood in her way, saw her look him over before turning back to the cabinet. Phade grabbed an ax and handed it to him without saying anything. It didn't take a genius to know Dean wouldn't be above 'trying' to argue her into staying at the Hyperion. That wasn't in her plans for the day and having Dean tag along _without_ a weapon…

He took the ax questioning her with a look. It wasn't a bad piece, kinda medieval with a spear pointing from the top.

"You sure as hell aren't getting the Chinese battle ax." Phade replied with a shake of her head.

"The what?"

"The one that looks like a fish is puking out a sharp semicircular shaped blade." Phade explained from the bottom step.

"Chinese?" Dean glanced at the closed cabinet still holding onto the ax she'd given him.

"Yup, the one in your hand is an 18th century Indo-Persian battle ax used in mounted warfare." Phade's knowledge of the weapon in his hand had Dean wondering what else he didn't know about her.

"Angel had it shortened seeing as we don't go around on horses. 21st century." She shrugged turning towards the door and heading up the steps.

"So what am I doing with this…?" Dean asked following her.

"Not getting in my way." Phade said over her shoulder.

 **W**

She didn't hesitate, not once in that building did Phade hesitate or show signs of discomfort. She was efficient, chopping up those itty-bitty slug- things! The little case she'd slipped onto her belt before leaving contained small spheres. 'Hell fire' she said at his look. One thing Dean knew for sure was that they worked. Not a thing was left of those- things. She pronounced the basement clean and headed out only to find the door still locked. By the look on her face Dean surmised this wasn't exactly how the plan went.

Phade jangled the door handle but nothing happened and no spell of hers seemed to work either. That's when she started getting upset, to put it lightly. She flipped open her cell and started dialing before she remembered they were in the basement.

"No service." She muttered snapping it closed. Her face grew stormy and if he'd known her better Dean would have been a little afraid.

"You fuck dick!" Phade yelled at the door then delivered a powerful front kick. Dean raised an eyebrow hearing her, un-intelligently about to quip that's what they were made for, or one reason for them anyway, the nicer reason.

Then his eyes noticed the dent in the metal door.

He raised a limp hand, the ax half forgotten, dozens of questions going through his mind but with no real words with which to ask her about it he just pointed. Phade noticed the dent as well and quickly delivered another kick. The door rattled again slightly popping out of its frame. He noticed the grim smile on her face as she slipped the cell phone back in her pocket before she set to work.

"He's going to pay." She muttered between each kick. "He's going to hurt so bad he'll wish he was back in demon hell!"

 **W**

 _'What the hell did I get myself into?'_ Dean wondered as he fended off another vampire. The ax was doing a great job of hacking away at them but it didn't turn them to ash, not the way Phade made her vampires float around her like some dark cloud. He knew the basics, the rules of hunting that John had taught him. To kill a vampire you needed Dead Man's blood, fire or chopping off its head.

Dead Man's blood he didn't have. Fire… well, Phade had the Hell Fire or she did before using it all on those little slug beast's. As for chopping their heads off… it wasn't as easy as he'd thought, after all when the hell had he ever had to deal with vampires?

The glimpses Dean caught of her fighting showed him a side of Phade he'd never thought was in the quiet girl from _Indiana_ _._ It was as if she'd hidden her true nature. She was just as efficient as in the basement only he could see in her face a glimmer of- pleasure? Dean realized she liked this, enjoyed the hunt and the fight.

 _'She's a hunter!'_ he realized with sudden surprise. _'Damn, is that what I look like when I'm fighting?'_

There was a sort of enjoyment in what she was doing, a smirk hidden at the corner of her lips Dean wasn't sure he liked. It made him uncomfortable to think Phade reveled in the hunt, in doing…

 _'Is that why Sam worries?'_

Because for all his platitudes about being in control and handling things just fine Dean knew deep down he wanted to hurt those sons of bitches worse than his family had been hurt. There was a lot of anger simmering just under the surface and one day, maybe he wouldn't be able to control it.

Dean wasn't paying attention, which is why the vampire knocked him down and he lost his grip on the ax. He kicked and threw punches but he was on the ground which wasn't the best position to be in if you wanted to win a fight.

Dean Winchester wanted to win this fight because if he lost that meant he was dead.

"Down!" Phade yelled turning to the two bloodsuckers currently trying to suck him dry. She threw her Sai, which impaled the blond straddling Dean as he lay back.

 _'Even vampires can't resist!'_ Phade rolled her eyes at the thought. Behind her another two double-teamed her and she fell. Her hand hit something solid and grabbed instinctively for any weapon. The ax sliced through the papery body with screams and blood. Phade rolled to her feet using the ax to sever a head and that stopped the blood from spraying on her clothes. The second one stopped, stared, then fled.

"Get back here you shit!" Phade yelled moving after him when she heard Dean. He was struggling against two vampires. She turned only to see him get suckered and backed into a wall. He was a good fighter, fast and quickly adapting to his surroundings. He used the area around him to his advantage which was good, showed he was a quick thinker. The one thing Dean didn't have that the vampires did was the inherited fighting skills they seemed grow into after being sired. As well as the superior strength which was superior to any mortal.

"I told you to aim for the heart, Dean!" Phade pulled out a silver stake and threw it quickly making another ash pile at his feet. Dean threw a right front snap kick to the vampire and turned catching the ax she tossed then decapitated the vamp, all in one motion. Dean turned back to Phade, a pleased smile on his face but she wasn't there.

"Phade!" Dean called heading to the stairs. He could hear the fight, grunts and fists as they connected with flesh. He reached the first landing watching as she shoved the vampire into the wall. Plaster cracked along the ceiling and little drifts fell over them.

"Wait, wait! We wanted Angel!" the vampire cried holding up his hands. Phade kicked him then grabbed his head and slammed her knee into his face.

"You got me, bitch and I'm worse." She ground out throwing him down the stairs. Something else caught her attention because she turned to Dean.

"Get rid of him and stay back." She ordered. Dean scowled about to tell her he could take care of himself but she ran off pulling out some of her little hell fire balls.

The vampire hissed struggling to its feet and limping badly. Dean held no pity for the undead thing and swung the ax. It went through cleanly, leaving only a cloud of ash floating down onto the stairs. He rested the ax over his shoulder wondering why these vampires were so easy to kill. In all their travels the Winchester's had never turned up any like these. Dean rushed up the stairs completely ignoring Phade's 'order' thinking it was time she learned he wasn't the type to take orders.

Dean stopped dead on the top stairs unable to believe what he was seeing. The charred and smoking carcass at his feet was twice his size not to mention looked more like a hollowed out animal. The smell was enough to make bile rise to his throat and still he didn't move from the landing and into the fight. His hands were slack on the ax handle but he didn't let go.

Phade caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. Anger flared inside her at his stupidity. She'd told him to stay back, told him to stay down there so he wouldn't get hurt. Ashing vampires was one thing but these-? She was having a hard time putting down the Naruhf demons, which meant Dean wouldn't be of any help to her. He would more than likely end up badly injured or dead.

 _'Jesus if he dies on me…'_ Phade didn't want to think about that, something Dean was making incredibly difficult. The Naruhf squealed its high-pitched sound tearing through her sensitive ears and bucked her off. Phade flew off hitting the wall hard. She found herself on her hands and knees dragging in harsh breaths with black spots dancing across her vision. Somewhere far off she could hear yelling and when she looked up the blood drained from her face making her dizzy.

"NO!" Phade yelled horrified at Dean's stupidity. Didn't he see the bristles on the tongue, which just happened to be dripping with acid bile?

The same ones currently aiming for his face!

"Dean!" Phade jumped to her feet barely managing to yank him out of the way. Her arm took the brunt of the tongue-lashing and the pain traveled up her arm like a wave of volcanic lava nearly knocking her off her feet. She couldn't even scream the pain was so intense but she managed to get them into another room. Dean slammed the door closed holding up the ax as the Naruhf began to splinter the wood.

"What did you do to piss them off?" he asked completely unaware of her pain until the first string of sailor like cursing started. Dean turned around in surprise only to suck in a hash breath at the bubbling mass of her arm. "Phade-?"

Phade recoiled from his touch giving him a death glare and breathing harshly through her teeth, jaw clenched. Her eyes said more than words could and he was grateful she wasn't yelling in his head though he wasn't sure how this was his fault. All he'd done was help her out!

"Move!" she ground out taking the ax from his slack hand just as the door splintered leaving them exposed to the pissed off demon. Dean flinched wondering what the hell he was doing there in the first place and thinking she was wrong.

 _'Her job is harder not to mention more dangerous.'_

That, however was something he wasn't about to tell her. as if he'd give Phade something to throw in his face…

Phade launched herself at the Naruhf with a war cry slashing at it with the ax one handed. At one point she rolled under it slashing the underbelly and managing to get out of the way before the entrails hit the floor right were she had been. An instant later the demon was a flaming pyre, which quickly burned itself out.

"Damn it!" Phade stomped her foot looking at the melted metal on the handle of the ax. All she had left was the polished wooden handle, which she threw on the carcass. "Angel's gonna kill me."

"Angel?" Dean repeated in disbelief. She'd practically been mauled by the damn beast lying at her feet and she was worried about a fucking vampire? Before he could tell her she had her priorities mixed up she ran off grumbling about dismemberment. "Hey-! Damn."

He rushed after her hoping there weren't anymore of those demons lurking around the corner when he heard her yelling.

"Who, you fuck dick! Tell me who put you up to this because I'm gonna hurt you! I'll fucking pull you apart with my bare hands so don't fuck with me!" the pustuly demon groveled at her feet begin her to let him go whimpering every time she reached back to slap him.

"I don't know! I swear! I swear!" the pustule howled. "They wanted Angel!"

"Why?" Phade glared and seeing him hesitate she reached jack and bitch slapped him again. "Why!"

"He- he- he-."

"Listen," Phade yanked him up by his collar getting close up in his face. Her voice lowered menacingly sounding very calm to Dean's ears, enough that he felt goose bumps rise along his arms.

"I'm not asking again, Whart. Whoever put you up to this will kill you." Whart whimpered at that beginning to splutter some sort of excuse but Phade continued. "If you're lucky it won't hurt, much. But right now I'm the one you have to deal with and I won't make it fast and I can guarantee you will feel every single thing. If you think passing out will give you some reprieve, think again, Whart because I can wake you right the fuck up and go all over again. Last time I did this the demon lasted a week. Only because I was a little too eager to get the information; I won't make the same mistake again."

Dean could see Whart begin to crumple under her heated stare and what he imagined she had done to the non-existent demon. Dean was almost sure Phade wasn't into the torture…

"Who and why?"

It all came out then. The fake call and the slugs in the basement planted there by the vampires not to mention the Naruhf dogs. Dean's eyebrows shot up hearing that.

 _'Those were dogs?_ '

W

Sam couldn't wait any more for them to get back and he couldn't believe Dean had actually gone off on a hunt with Phade. What was his brother thinking? He hadn't even bothered to let him know he was leaving not that they usually didn't take off all on their own sometimes but this was different. There was an evil spirit out there killing girls and if Dean was right the next one on the list would be Phade. He dialed again hoping Dean would finally answer and just as he headed down the lobby stairs he could hear raised voices coming from out side.

"Your arm-."

"Is just great thanks!" the door opened and both burst in. Sam hung up raising a hand in hello but they were busy, too busy to notice him.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away because I remember telling you to stay away!" Phade yelled getting in his brothers face. Her height didn't take away from the formidable figure she cut just then. Brown eyes flashing, face flushed and gesticulating wildly, Sam wondered what the hell happened.

"I was helping you!" Dean thundered right back shoving his face down to hers. He was wild eyed as well; face beet red and huffing angry breaths.

"HAH!" Phade scoffed. "You called that help? You're not even a good kisser!" it was a low blow and all three knew it. Phade didn't care, she was fighting dirty and once Dean realized she wasn't going to hold back he let loose as well.

"I can't-. Oh! Ok you didn't seem to have any problem using me to make your jock jealous. As a matter of fact you weren't complaining!"

"Who could complain when your tongue was practically down my throat!"

"Hey, hello…" Sam stood behind Dean while the argument escalated.

"You're a fucking lunatic!"

"You're a stalker! Don't think I didn't notice you kept staring at me in school and then again at that stupid old fire house!"

"I'm the stalker? At least I don't go torturing demons before I send them back to hell!" Dean roared shoving off Sam's hand.

"I got what I needed which is more than I can say about you! Now I can get my job done."

Sam finally pushed in positioning his body between the fighting pair. He raised both hands in surrender yelling at the top of his voice for them to listen. Seeing them glaring up at him, Sam shook his head with a sigh.

"I got information."

Dean threw Phade a dirty look. "What is it?"

"There is a common thread with all the victims besides the one we-." Sam glanced at Dean knowing he understood and continued. "All the women have 'J' names, every one of them, Dean. I figure this spirit is looking for a certain someone-."

"Only he can't remember the girl's name." Dean finished. There was something not right about that theory and he said; "Not all of them had 'J' names, Sammy. There was that one… what was her name? Beth, Britt, something-."

"You suck at remembering girl names." Phade stated with another dirty look in his direction. Before the bickering could start again Sam intervened.

"She went by her middle name, Jaime. I found something else. There were a couple of kids trespassing on UJC grounds when they were building it back then. One of the girls in the group was found murdered. Same MO."

"Any old ones still hanging around?" Dean asked wondering if maybe they could get something else to go on from the survivors. Sam smiled which told Dean they had somewhere to start looking.

"Yes, right here in Los Angeles."

"Let's go." Dean said already heading to the door completely having forgotten about Phade in his hurry to find the spirit and lay it to rest or send it back to hell. Sam opened the door jerking to a stop as he realized they were leaving Phade alone. Dean glared at Sam then followed his look to where Phade was heading up the stairs pulling off the ruined shirt and grumbling about idiots. He scowled at her back barely able to contain a retort. There was no denying her arm certainly looked better than it had before she used that lavender colored oil-.

"Hey Phade?" Sam called to her. She turned around eyebrow raised in question. "You wanna come?"

Phade barely smiled at the younger guy shaking her head. All she wanted was to take a hot shower let her arm soak in some herbs to get rid of the sting and finish up the reports from last night. Not to mention calling Wes and giving him a piece of her mind at the underhanded behavior _after_ she got the information she needed in regards to Whart's story.

"Yeah, tag along…" Dean invited in his most annoying tone. She had been about to decline politely but the green-eyed Winchester just rubbed her the wrong way and even though she knew it was childish she couldn't help herself.

"Sure." Phade said already heading down the stairs.

"I don't think black leather is going to make our job easier." Dean looked her over meaningfully. Sam saw the stormy look on her face and quickly intervened. Somehow he found himself being the buffer between the two and he wasn't sure exactly how that had come about.

"He means we need to get them to talk to us and…" he trailed off with a slight shrug hoping she wouldn't get upset with him. He shouldn't have worried because Phade nodded acceptance then hurried up the stairs calling down to them.

"Ten minutes!"

Sam threw a nasty look at his brother.

"What?" Dean asked feigning innocence.

 **W**


	6. Chapter 6

The trio arrived at the first house in a run down area of the city. The houses were large typically in the Victorian style sitting, mostly on top hills. Even with Dean's grumbling about having to drive and park on a hill Phade followed quietly behind the brothers to knock on the old man's front door. She noticed the dead grass on the front yard and the old weeping willow devoid of any leaves. The branches still hung down looking more like dried up tentacles hissing dryly in the wind. Her eyes scanned the rest of the yard finding the remnants of what used to be a rose bush and some other flowers lining the bottom of the raised porch. Dead leaves crunched beneath their feet as they followed the obscured path to the stairs which creaked loudly with every step. Sam winced hearing how loud the stairs had announced their arrival even though they weren't doing anything wrong. All they wanted were some answers. The guilt was in knowing they weren't just going to ask innocent questions.

Dean knocked on the old glass paned door; white paint flaked off revealing an ochre color beneath. He rubbed a finger over that spot then showed them seeing more paint come off.

"That's at least two coats of paint." Dean said with one of those annoying smiles. It was as if he couldn't help making fun of people. Phade couldn't help her scowl to which he just winked in response. She huffed an annoyed breath and turned away. Her eyes took in the yard again all the while hearing the slow but steady tread of feet inside the house. Someone was definitely coming to the door,

"It's lonely up here." She whispered only to have a cold wind carry her voice away. She rubbed her arms feeling her skin prickle through the light jacket. She hadn't thought about the weather since it was usually warm enough not to need a heavy jacket. Phade had grabbed the first clothes she saw hanging in her closet. The dark gray pinstripe trousers had been next to the navy blue jacket which she'd thrown on the bed quickly undressing. She rummaged in a drawer until she'd come out with a black camisole hurriedly slipping it on then ducking under her bed for shoes. The first one's that came out were the black half boots. Phade barely had time to comb out the tangles in her long hair before running out of her suite buttoning up the English styled ladies jacket.

"Who is it?" the voice drew her attention back to the house.

"Mr. Kosovo?" Dean asked barely hiding his impatience.

"Who is it?" the voice barked again. Both Winchester's glanced at each other clearly surprised by the old mans tone of voice.

"My name's Michael Vaughn, sir. I'm doing an article for the local paper and was wondering if I could ask you some questions?" Sam looked at Dean wondering if the old man was going to open the door.

"Vaughn?" the old man asked. The lock clicked then the door creaked open noticeably in need of some oiling. Phade could see the old man clearly in the dimly lit porch. See the barely there wisps of platinum hair, the age spots dotting his scalp and the heavy wrinkles lining his face but what most caught her attention was the look in the old mans eyes.

"What's this article about young man." Mr. Kosovo stood just a little taller than Phade but she knew that without the slight hunch on his back he would've been taller than her. His blue eyes were pale and the whites where marked by dozens of tiny veins. He had his mouth set in a harsh line obviously unhappy about the interruption. Her sensitive ears picked up the soft bur of the TV then the more raucous laughter of the game show audience.

"It's a local piece, sir. We just wanted to ask some background questions." Dean tried a polite smile which the old man didn't like. He turned hard eyes on Dean barking out his question.

"Who in blazes are you?"

Dean cleared his throat then held his hand out introducing himself. "Matt Donovan."

Mr. Kosovo glanced from Dean's face to his outstretched hand then back at his face still hard eyed and unwavering.

"I don't like you." He stated with refreshing sincerity eliciting a broad smile from Phade.

 _'Finally! Someone who understands.'_

Dean frowned unsure how exactly he managed to tick off the old man and glancing at Sam for some answer. The younger Winchester had no idea how Dean managed to piss off at least _one_ person during a hunt but he knew they needed to get information from the old man.

"I'm sorry Mr. Kosovo." Sam jumped in trying to salvage the situation and hoping Dean would keep quiet until he could get what they came for. "He's an intern, new to the job, so to speak." He cleared his throat at Dean's murderous look and continued. "We were wondering if you could answer some questi-."

"You already said that son." Mr. Kosovo grumbled looking up at Sam. "You won't get any answers if you're just going to repeat yourself. Now what is it you want to know?"

Phade's smile turned into a grin liking the old man even more. He was the type who didn't like to beat around the bush.

"Uh-mm. I -."

"Do you remember having a party with some friends at what's now the University of Jud-." Dean trailed off watching the old man shuffle back into his house much faster than he would have thought possible. "Whoa, whoa, hey." But he was too late to get a foot wedged in the door as it shut behind the old man.

"What the hell was that?" Sam asked clearly annoyed and staring down at his older brother.

"What?" Dean asked unaware of what had gone wrong. "I didn't even ask him the question!" both simultaneously moved to the bottom steps of the porch lowering their voices.

"You couldn't keep your trap shut. You just had to butt in _knowing_ he doesn't' like you." Sam accused turning away from Dean in frustration.

"How can he not like me?" Dean asked beginning to feel angry. The old man didn't even know him!

"He _said_ 'I don't like you.' Dean. That usually means _he doesn't like you!_ "

"I had to say something." Dean retorted now angry. "You were stuttering- maybe you should've been the intern, Sammy."

Phade ignored the arguing Winchester's trying to understand what the old man was so afraid of. His face had paled at the mere mention of the party which meant there was something awful he didn't want to dredge up. The problem with that were the dead girls and the lack of information they had to stop the spirit that was murdering them. He was an old man and even though she didn't want to cause him harm or make him suffer she knew they needed to know what ever it was he hid. She brushed past the arguing brothers and knocked lightly on the door. There was a harsh intake of breath on the other side audible only to her. The fear pulsated off Mr. Kosovo seeping through the door so that she felt his every emotion as if it were her own.

Phade hated doing this to him but there was nothing else for it and gently she touched the door just were Mr. Kosovo's back pressed up against it, as if he would keep them from breaking in if they tried. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath exhaling as she let her mind touch the edges of his. The swirling fog of his thoughts swirled chaotic among the vast expanse of webbing. It resembled a vast and profuse forest with a tangle of foliage to navigate through.

Dean barely noticed the door open but the loud creaking of the hinges jerked his attention in time to see Phade walk into the old Victorian house.

"Hey!" he scrambled up the stairs followed closely by Sam but again they were too late and the door closed. The sound seemed to echo on the porch and both Winchester's glanced at each other nervously.

"See what you did?" Dean accused. Sam looked shocked his face quickly scowling at his older brother,

"Me? You're the one supposed to be keeping an eye on her!"

"Oh as if keeping watch outside her door _and_ tagging along for a hunt, which!" Dean held up a hand to stop Sam from interrupting. "Was just- she-aahg!" Dean waved a fist at the closed door wishing Phade was close enough he could strangle her. After the hunt she'd taken him on he wasn't sure what to think. "Can you get in?"

"I don't know Dean," Sam glared standing with arms crossed. "Are you done with your fit or…?"

Dean bit his tongue just so he wouldn't say something he'd regret and motioned Sam towards the door.

 **W**

An hour later the Winchester's sat on opposite ends of the porch swing with Sam's long legs pushing off the railing. Neither had any luck picking the door lock mainly because the lock picks kept popping out of the keyhole. If that wasn't clear enough then the _unlocked_ windows which they couldn't open no matter how much they shoved or pushed finally gave Sam a clear indication _she_ wasn't letting them in. He'd let Dean struggle for a couple of minutes, finally jumping in when Dean reached back to break a window pane. There were heated words thrown about then they finally settled on the swing. Neither spoke though they kept glancing at each other.

The screech of the door hinges had the brothers scrambling to their feet, which was made more difficult because it was swinging. Dean managed to keep from falling on his face but just barely. Phade stood looking into the house murmuring softly. Sam noticed Mr. Kosovo looked distracted and his gaze would wander off.

"Go rest now, Damien." Phade smiled gently at the old man tenderly pushing him back into the house. "Forget the past and enjoy your life." She whispered closing the door behind him.

"What was that?" Dean asked and though he kept his tone civil his expression was dark.

"Would you specify exactly what 'what'?" Phade asked slowly walking to the steps. Sam smacked Dean's arm throwing him a glare as he followed her.

"You know exactly what I mean, Phade." Dean followed them grumbling about her pushiness when Phade missed a step. She would have slipped down the last two but Sam was right there holding her up, all 5'2" of her dwarfed by his little brothers 6' frame.

"He doesn't like you Dean." Was all she said leaning on Sam until they got back in the Impala. He noticed the paleness of her face feeling a little bit concerned but the nagging thought of _how_ she managed to get in that house…

"What happened?" Dean asked in a quiet voice. Sam sat up glancing at his brother warily.

"He let me in, we talked." Phade responded much too simply for Dean.

"Oh, just opened the door." He said while his voice rose. "Just because." He shrugged laughing. "You did that head thing again!" Dean accused glaring at her in the rearview mirror.

"Dean." Sam warned frowning at his brother then throwing an apologetic look at Phade.

"What!" Dean yelled. "She's screwing with the old dude's brain! She could be doing the same to us. How do you know she's not doing it now?"

"I don't know why-." Sam heaved a sigh not getting why Dean and Phade antagonized each other so much. "It doesn't matte-."

"Like hell!" Dean exclaimed red faced.

"If I were in you're head you'd be playing with Barbie's and dressing in girl clothes." Phade interrupted with a quiet voice somehow managing to imbue it with scorn for Dean.

"I've just about had it with you lady!" Dean turned in his seat yelling at Phade.

"You've had 10years to move on Dean!" Phade yelled back slapping her hand on the back seat. Dean pitched forward a little which pissed him off even more.

"Would you two-." Sam didn't get to finish because both Phade and Dean turned to him with equal glares.

"SHUT UP SAM!" they yelled in unison then both glared at each other and yelled again. "DON'T YELL AT HIM!"

Phade sat back in her seat glaring while Dean threw heated glares at her from the rearview mirror.

"HE'S MY BROTHER!" Dean yelled again while Phade yelled at him as well. "HE'S YOUR BROTHER!"

They both took deep breaths but Phade was the first to speak in a more or less calm tone of voice.

"You want to know why I didn't speak to you in school? Why I used you to make Dusty jealous? Why I ignored you-?"

"Because you were a snobby stuck up cheerleader who ran with the popular crowd and didn-." Sam rolled his eyes sliding down in his seat as the argument deteriorated. He didn't know what to say to make them stop not that hunting an evil murdering spirits was more important than their current argument.

"Because you were there!" Phade yelled cutting into Dean's tirade. "You were the bad ass nobody knew anything about. _All_ the girls whispered about you. 'Dean's green eyes. Dean's wicked smile. Dean's body. Dean this Dean that. Dean! Dean! Dean! Everywhere I _fucking_ went!" Phade took a deep breath but she didn't let Dean interrupt her. "Shut up! I'm not done. So, big deal. I kissed you, once! Just _once_ and everyone knows! Which wasn't so bad but then you up and skip town the next day!"

"We were hunting demons!" Dean exclaimed in defense.

"Like I knew!"

"If I showed up at your window, middle of the night with the truth; 'Sorry but I have to leave town because my Dad wants to hunt this demon killing kids two states over how about another kiss for the road?' You would have been just as pissed _and_ thinking I'm crazy." Dean said in his fake calm voice.

Sam thought that made no sense but then again he didn't see how any of this made sense. Phade however sat back in the seat with her arms crossed and glowered.

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!" Dean yelled into the back seat.

"Both of you SHUT UP!" Sam roared earning glares from both of them but neither spoke again. "It's been 10 years and obviously you're both still upset."

"No." Phade said shaking her head. She sighed seeming tired. "I'm not upset about that."

Dean scowled into the mirror thinking she'd seemed pretty upset about it just a second ago.

"It wasn't even the point. I had just moved there. My Dad was looking for work but no one wanted to hire a dirty wetback with no papers out there." Phade grew angry just remembering about those short months. It wasn't so much the relocating as the shame that went with her Father not being able to work and how that knowledge had shamed _him._

"Work is work." Dean grumbled. "At least he had a job." Sam threw Dean a questioning look, surprised his older brother would hint that it had bothered him their Dad hadn't held a normal job ever since their Mom had died.

"Yeah?" Phade glared sitting up. She sat on the edge of the back seat leaning her arms on the back rest between them. "My Dad was making blue prints for three story houses in the Glendale hills. He never went to school, learned just by watching and asking questions because he wanted to get ahead in life. In México he had to stop going to school after 3rd grade because my grandfather couldn't keep his ass outta the cantinas and he went blind. It was my Dad's responsibility as the older son to provide for his Mother, sisters and younger brother who actually got to go to school only to end up married and knocked up. How fucking fair is that?"

Phade smacked her palm on the seat rest sliding back in a huff. She couldn't believe she'd just told them that much about her life when she hadn't even told Ryan much less Dante. Thinking about that prick pissed her off even more then thoughts of Sebastián intruded and her insides felt as if they'd been tied into knots. She rubbed a fist in her stomach closing her eyes to keep her eyes from watering. It seemed that all her recent 'emotional' problems had started when the Winchester's showed up at the Hyperion.

"Everyon-." Sam began but Phade had heard all the excuses before.

"Don't tell me someone has it worse." She cut in glaring at his back. "Because I _know_ someone had it worse than I did. I told myself the same thing but I can't do shit about anyone else." It hadn't made a difference either because how many kids watched their Aunt's get run down in the middle of a busy street with a half dozen strangers?

"So why this job?" Dean asked still not looking at her. It didn't escape Sam's notice, the way Dean was trying to change the topic, lead the conversation away from some deep emotion they could both hear in her voice.

"Why?" Phade asked incredulously. She hadn't thought about 'why', it hadn't even occurred to her and she didn't want to think about it. What was the point in looking into her reasons for staying on at AI when she had nothing anymore? At least nothing that she truly cared about, nobody to worry about, nobody that would miss her…

"Yeah, you help people by doing this." Sam turned in his seat his expression clearly curious about the answer.

"I- I don't- help anyone." Phade stammered feeling a bit like a cornered rabbit. Why were they asking her to think about her reasons? Why did she need to think about that, about why she worked for Angel, why she kept staying there? Hadn't she lost enough? But if she left Angel investigations what was left? What would she do? Where was she going to go?

"Then why?" Sam insisted.

"Why-. I'm sure it hasn't escaped your notice I have a lot of anger…" Phade trailed off snapping at Sam and feeling a little like a rat for it. They guy had been nothing but sweet to her and here she was yelling at him. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Yeah." Dean agreed dryly.

"Why are you helping us?" Sam asked more gently.

"I'm not." She responded quickly, maybe a little too fast because they didn't seem to believe her. "I've never hunted a ghost." It wasn't a complete lie because she never had hunted a ghost, just demons, vampires the regular stuff. The dream she'd had at Tinga's house was her main reason but after the walk in the UJC playing field with those voices and then at the Hyperion-.

"You know something." Dean stated and for a second Phade felt the blood drop out of her head. How could he possibly know she was lying! "Old grumpy guy told you something and you're not saying what besides that we know something's been happening."

Phade sighed in relief and slid down in the back seat getting comfortable in the corner. Suddenly she felt more than tired especially with the little trip she'd taken inside Mr. Kosovo's brain. The poor old guy had been suffering with the guilt all these years. He hadn't enjoyed any part of his life.

"Damien was the first to run off and leave the others at the summoning circle."

Sam frowned watching Phade as she related the story while Dean listened intently even as he drove to their next stop.

 **W**


	7. Chapter 7

The next house was a barren lot about 30miles from the university. From the looks of it the house hand been torn down years ago and the lot was now used as a dumping ground for local trash. There were weeds growing tall and wild through out the land mostly obscuring the smaller piles of garbage. Phade peeked out the window taking it all in then sat back with a soft sigh.

"So, they decided to have a party, Jenna's idea." Phade took up were she'd left off on the story. Her soft voice wove the images of that night into a vivid tapestry for the Winchester's.

"Jenna Wilkins?" Dean interrupted with a frown and glancing at his paper recognizing the name of the girl murdered that night.

"Yep, that's her. You wanna hear the rest…?" Phade let her voice trail off.

"That's the girl who died when _Damien_ decided to run off." Dean glowered into the rearview mirror.

"Oh, well…" Phade shook her head trying to get the pictures in her mind to fall into a pattern. "Uhmm, Daniella's family comes from a long line of witches and at Jack's insistence decided to indulge the group with a ritual."

"Jack Allen?" Sam asked glancing at the lot then at the address.

"Yes, why?" Phade waited patiently her eyes drawn once more to the empty lot. She sucked in a quiet breath seeing the wavering image of a Victorian house with double front French doors. Light shone through most of the downstairs windows glowing warmly as the cool wind blew carrying the faint sounds of people laughing.

"This is where he used to live." Sam responded glancing at the empty lot again.

"What's the next one?" Dean asked sighing.

"Closest one is Anne Murak." Sam looked at Dean with a half smile showing him the map. "They were neighbors just a couple of blocks from each other."

"Hah." Dean scoffed pulling away from the curb.

"Phade?"

"Huh?" Phade sat up in the back seat but the image of the house was imprinted on her retinas. She rubbed her hands over her eyes squeezing them shut to try and erase the young man who'd open the door and waved her in. She'd had the strongest urge to get out of the car and run up those stairs. "Yeah, where was I?"

"The witch." Dean supplied helpfully.

"Right. I got the impression Jack was dicking around with both Daniella and Anne."

"Dicking around?" Dean asked and glancing at the rearview mirror Phade could see the smirk on his face. "Where'd you pick that one up?"

"That's what they're called isn't it? Or don't you have one, Dean?" Phade looked inquiringly leaning on the seat back.

"You got a lot of balls, Phade."

"Yeah, well…" she shrugged sitting back and after a moment resumed her story. "It wasn't that he said anything about them but there was some latent hostility, which makes me think Damien had a thing for one of them. Either way, Jack was the leader of the little group second only to Frank who liked to bully tiny Marty. Don't ask about the name, Dean just go with it." Phade rolled her eyes seeing Dean about to open his mouth for a comment. Most likely something to do with a movie reference because she'd learned Dean was a movie fanatic.

"They were supposed to meet up outside of the construction site. Damien arrived at the same time that Daniella got there but it wasn't long before Marty showed up with Sonya and Vernon."

"How many where there? I mean the paper didn't specify-." Sam wondered.

"Nine. Four girls and five guys. Jenna was the new girl; she was dating Frank and the last to arrive were Jack with Anne in tow. Daniella had a brief argument with Jack but Damien didn't hear anything, not that he could make out what they were saying. A couple of minutes later the group headed into the unfinished buildings. Damien remembers Vernon and Frank already being drunk because Jenna had to steady Frank's bulky frame and Vernon kept swaying to the sides and bumping into the frames. They were a loud bunch the nine of them." Phade glanced down at her hands smiling at the memory, even though it wasn't hers she could feel the bonds formed by those people long ago.

"Jack laughed heartily poking fun at Vernon who laughed with him good naturedly. Nothing ever bothered Vernon; nothing they said or did made him loose his cool. But he could get you back, Vernon was the practical joker of the group and at first the others thought he was responsible for the strange sounds." Phade glanced out the window again at the passing houses and blurring trees, she could feel the purr of the engine in her chest.

"They found a spot somewhere near an empty plot of land and settled into a half finished building. Daniella set up the ritual site while everyone else drank or made out." Phade let out a soft chuckle at Dean's snort of amusement while Sam just shook his head.

"Sounds like a party alright."

"Damien didn't think so. He wasn't in a party mood that night but the gang was there and so he tagged along. The poor man hasn't stopped regretting that decision. He's spent his whole life alone, feeling responsible for leaving them all there. He's never married or had a family. Can you imagine a life like that?" Phade's voice had a hint of compassion for the old man they'd seen. Alone with no one to care for him in his old age. Who would know if he was hurt or if he died? Would anyone care?

Phade didn't realize the thoughts her questions provoked in the Winchester's because they, more than anyone, knew exactly how the old guy felt. Sam more than Dean because of his late fiancé and yet neither could deny wanting more than they had. Dean hid it well but deep down he wanted his own family, a home, to be able to sit down and have a home cooked meal, to sleep in his own bed, to have more than a duffel full of clothes and small pieces of his past shoved in there. He wanted _not_ to worry about the beasts lurking out at night or have to think about Sam turning evil one day.

"They summoned a demon. Damien didn't know what happened, he'd never heard Daniella invoke anything let alone practice her craft. A cold wind blew through the structure and the candles fizzled out which wouldn't have freaked them out so much but then it howled."

"Who?" Sam turned in his seat again watching Phade's glassy eyes stare off into the night.

"The demon." She whispered, eyes squinting as if she were trying to see something. "Damien didn't know what it was but it scared him, he could feel it-." Phade shuddered, the glassy far off look faded from her eyes and she focused on Sam. "He didn't wait, not after the first scream. They all ran, they ran and left her behind."

The look on her face conveyed her confusion and the hurt almost as if she were the one they'd left behind that night so long ago.

 **W**

"We're here." Dean's voice sounded oddly quiet in the car as he parked in front of the house. Sam made a reassuring gesture to Phade before turning to glance out his window.

"I'm beginning to notice a pattern here." Dean commented dryly. All three looked out the window up the overgrown hedges obscuring the path scanning the yard full of weeds, dead leaves and debris up to the rotted boards on the porch to the boarded up windows of the condemned house.

"What-?" Phade shook her head wondering where they had all gone to.

"What the hell, Phade?" Dean turned to her, the leather of the seat squeaking in protest. "Where are they?" he asked as if she were responsible for the boarded up house and the empty lot.

"Wh-. How should I know?" Phade retorted frowning at him. "I didn't get the addresses." Both turned to Sam who shifted uncomfortably under their stares.

"Well, I got the current address for each of them." He shrugged wondering why he felt the need to apologize. With a heavy sigh Phade stuck out her hand resting it against the seat back. At their blank looks Phade huffed an annoyed breath.

"I need your lap top."

"What for?" Dean asked irritated.

"To get the addresses we need, smart ass." Turning to Sam she said; "Now gimme."

"I already searched the internet, that's how I got these." Sam waved the sheets but Phade just rolled her eyes and wiggled her fingertips impatiently.

"You got your methods, I got mine and I don't particularly feel like sitting out all night so come on, just hand it over."

Sam frowned but retrieved his lap top and passed it over the seat. Phade wasted no time logging onto the internet and quickly managed to locate the first address she extended her hand for the papers which Sam handed over as well.

"Out of state." She said then threw one of the sheets aside.

"What?" Dean threw a glare at his brother.

"Clean you're ears, this one's out of state too." Phade replied throwing another sheet aside. Sam opened his mouth making short choppy questioning sounds until finally he managed to voice it out loud.

"Wait, wait. I did a search-."

"Like I said," Phade started not bothering to glance up from the screen. "You have your methods, I have mine." She made a happy noise and handed them a sheet. "You got a good one."

 **W**

Thirty minutes later Dean pulled up to a modern home in a ritzy neighborhood using the address Phade got off the net.

"Out of nine you only managed to get three good addresses." Dean grumbled shaking his head. Phade arched an eyebrow at his lack of appreciation.

"I didn't see you helping him do the search. Oh wait! That's cuz you weren't looking for information." She snapped.

"Hey, I was helping you!" Dean retorted turning around.

"You really want to start that again? Cuz I remember telling you to stay away but instead you decide to-."

"Okay! Enough with the arguing. What is with you two?" Sam glared at both of them then shoved his door open climbing out of the Impala.

"See what you did?" Phade hissed pushing the seat forward and following Sam.

"Me? You're the one-." Dean scrambled out. "Dammit."

Sam stood by the gate staring into the manicured lawn. He heard them come up and held out the sheet with the information on their current suspect.

"Vernon Jules."

"Looks like he's done well since that night. You think he has trouble sleeping in there?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"He will after you get in there." Phade said softly. She ignored Dean's glare and went up to the gates intercom. The buzzer rang twice before someone answered. The voice crackled through the speaker box sounded disjointed.

"I'm sorry what was that?" Phade leaned in to the speaker turning her ear towards it. The voice answered again but this time she was able to make out the garbled question, "I'd like to speak with Mr. Jules."

The voice crackled again wanting to know why and saying it was too late to be calling on the family.

"I'm sorry but I really need to speak with him if you could just tell him Phade Vartan is-." This time another voice crackled through the box cutting her off.

 _"It's late Miss Vartan. Please call my office to set an appointment. Good night."_ The box crackled once then remained silent. Phade frowned at the speaker ignoring Dean's snort of laughter. Sam smacked him cutting the chortle short and earning him a glare.

"Dude she can't even get in there."

"Like hell I cant." Phade ground out pushing the button insistently. The speaker crackled almost immediately. "Mr. Jules I believe you knew someone by the name of Damien Kosovo,"

 _"Please leave!"_

"I know what happened Vernon, and I'd like to speak to you." Phade straightened glaring at the box. "I'm prepared to wait here all night if I have to and believe me you won't like me in the morning."

 _"Are you threatening me young lady?"_

"Not at all, sir. Just stating a fact, how you take is up to you." Phade crossed her arms and turned her glare towards the house.

"He's not-."

"He is." Phade stated and didn't have to wait long before the shape of a man strode towards them. "Mr. Jules." Phade nodded in greeting even as he looked her over taking in her appearance.

"Miss. Vartan I presume. Please come in." he glanced at the Winchester's opening the gate for them.

 **W**

"What exactly do you people want?" Vernon Jules asked as soon as the doors to his study closed. He turned icy green eyes on the trio surveying them each carefully. Phade took a step away from the brothers looking Vernon in the eyes.

"Answers to some questions." She'd gotten them in the door, lied about AI being on the case though it wasn't technically a lie since she _was_ working with the brothers. They were the only non-AI employees currently in Mr. Jules home office.

Vernon's face paled obviously not liking the way things were going to go.

"I don't know much so don't expect me to have a lot to say."

Sam glanced at Dean wondering if his brother would handle the questions from here or if he was going to let Phade deal with the man. Personally, Sam felt the faintest unease being in the house, then again it wasn't exactly a house since it resembled nothing more than a huge metal and glass cage.

"We were wondering what you saw that night?" Phade asked in her soft voice, the one she used to calm down anxious clients.

"I didn't see anything." Vernon stated emphatically but she knew he was lying. Her eyes never strayed from his face which she knew made him nervous, it was in the way he kept shifting his gaze away from hers. When Dean took over the questioning she was grateful because it freed her to read his thoughts as he answered the questions. It took more skill than she'd thought at first but now she was able to pick up on his memories of that night.

"You guys were out late, having some fun, partying at the construction site where UJC is now located." Dean said casually and Vernon's eyes practically bugged out. "See," Dean smiled. "I knew you'd remember. We just want to find out what you guys summoned so we can send it right back down to hell where it should've stayed in the first place." He finished in a harsh tone. Sam tried playing the good cop which he usually was and smooth over the situation.

"Mr. Jules, I'm sure you've seen the news. Girls are dying, whatever it was you and the others summoned, it hasn't stopped killing." Sam used those soulful brown eyes to full advantage. Phade couldn't help wonder why he didn't end up with all the girls instead of Dean. Vernon softened perceptively, wiping at his face tiredly. He shuffled around his desk dropping into the leather chair. His guard was down making it that much easier to read his thoughts and gather the information needed. Somehow that shadow following her around had to do with the murdered girls the fact that it was shadowing her made Phade extremely uncomfortable.

"We didn't know it was real."

 **W**

 _"You don't really believe any of this do you, Marty?" Sonya asked glancing nervously towards Daniella where she sat in the center of a circle of lit candles. She looked like one of those Buddha-yoga statues with her hands resting on her knees, the thumb and forefinger pinched together and her face raised, eyes closed. Sonya envied her the peaceful look feeling the uneasiness of what they were going to do._

 _"Jack's just having some fun." Marty slurred while sloppily patting her shoulder. He let his hand slip down her arm eyeing her lasciviously while trying to cop a feel. Sonya grimaced slapping his hand aside._

 _"You become such a pig when you're drunk."_

 _Marty shrugged giving her a brilliant and totally ineffective smile. Sonya grimaced her face scrunching up in disgust before hurrying off. If Marty could've seen himself, seen the sloppy, sleazy grin, the bleary blood shot eyes magnified by the bottle cap glasses which made him look like such a warty toad, he would've immediately wiped the grin from his face and tried the gentle dopey look which usually worked on the girls. They would at least give him a peck on the cheek if not a hug which he would try and make last as long as possible._

 _"Come on!" hollered Frank, finally coming up for air. His big voice echoed eerily through the half constructed building. "Get on with the Hocus Pocus and let's party!" he grinned throwing his arm out and spilling his whiskey. Jenna laughed much more sober than her lover and trying to hold him steady._

 _Jack_ _laughed good naturedly and hurried Daniella._

 _"This isn't some game, Jack." She hissed from the floor. Her red-brown hair gleamed in the candles light though the fire spewed from her green eyes. It was obvious she was still upset over their argument._

 _Sonya_ _stood next to Anne watching as Vernon helped Jenna steady Frank._

 _"I don't get it." Sonya said speaking softly._

 _"It's all a game, she's just being stuffy." Anne replied just a touch annoyed. "You know how Dani is about her stuff."_

 _Sonya_ _faced the willowy blond next to her incredulity written across her features. There was no way Anne was as dumb as she pretended but it was aggravating none the less._

 _"Then why not leave her_ 'stuff' _alone?" Sonya asked her meaning perfectly clear. Anne turned to her a cold smirk on her porcelain face. She was silent tilting her head in appraisal of the brunette. Anyone watching the women would never realize there was an irrevocable shifting of ideas and boundaries between them. Almost as suddenly the knowing glint left Anne's eyes and her smile turned mischievous._

 _"Now that's no fun." She said then quietly sauntered off in Marty's direction. Sonya made a face shaking her head._ 'What a pair.'

 _"Hey Jules." Jack called sounding overly loud. Sonya glanced at him waving an arm towards the circle. "Bring Frank over here. Come on, we're ready."_

 _She watched everyone stand loosely around the candles and moved slowly to her spot. Her body felt chilled and her legs seemed to be encased in lead for all the speed she managed. Something was wrong, the whole night felt wrong but there they all were, standing around, drunk, happy and full of adventure._

 _"Hold hands and stop making noise." Daniella ordered in a mildly annoyed tone of voice. Her eyes landed on Frank who immediately hushed his snort of laughter turning it into a cough._

 _Once the chant began the snickers died off all on their own. Silence reigned supreme blanketing them all as if sealing them into a cocoon where not even the slight breeze interfered._

 _Daniella's voice changed in pitch lowering slightly then echoing. If that didn't cause the rest of the group concern then the triple chorus of her voice should have. It was as if three Daniella's chanted slightly out of sync.._

 _Sonya's worried gaze met Vernon's slightly confused one. It was as if he were realizing they weren't just playing around. He noticed her look and gave her a slight smile meant to reassure her but the fact that he wasn't sure about what was going on undermined the desired effect. Sonya turned back to the now glowing circle. The white sand enclosing the pentagram glowed warmly then she noticed the candles where melting, small beads of wax slid down the sides to pool at the base. The wicks sputtered flaring brighter and the grains of sand trembled as if the ground was shaking but Sonya couldn't feel anything._

 _Daniella's voice altered again this time hissing the last words into the unbearably warm pentagram. On the last hiss the ground shook parting and the cold night air blew about the group in fierce gusts leaving them in complete darkness as the candles went out._

 **W**

Phade clutched at her head with both hands. She stumbled bumping into a bookcase which almost sent a vase crashing to the carpeted floor. Sam reached out to help her while Dean continued his questioning of Vernon but the old man was staring at Phade.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked in a suspicious tone. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the vilet glow in hers.

"What happened after that, Jules?" Dean moved to block his view but the old man was having none of that and shoved past Dean who barely kept himself from breaking the old guys arm.

"I asked you a question, son." Vernon demanded angry and afraid because he'd let them into his house. The house where his wife had just managed to fall asleep in.

"I'm fine." Phade said in a weak voice. She shook off Sam's helping hands and straightened but her face had paled considerably and her eyes had a glassy far off look. Vernon frowned remembering the look on Daniella that night. He remembered clearly everything, as though it had just happened. He could feel his heart beating rapidly, the clammy perspiration on his skin-.

"Who are you people?"

 **W**

"Can you believe that?" Dean asked incredulously. He glanced over his shoulder to the back seat where they had settled Phade. She was still pale and unfocused, not really answering their questions-.

"What part?" Phade mumbled. "Being kicked out or me getting a blow by blow of the whole night?" She sat up flinching as the throbbing in her head increased. The brothers glanced at each other hearing her question because apparently Phade had understood everything they'd said.

Phade couldn't understand how it could hurt so much just to get a glimpse of his memory. How did she do it in the first place when all she'd wanted was to find out if Vernon was lying to them.

"Are you ok?" Sam asked looking at her with those puppy browns again. She smiled half heartedly, thinking he definitely was the gentleman of the two.

"Peachy." Phade scrunched down in the corner behind Dean getting as comfortable as she could. "Because having a picture of that thing in my head… yeah, beautiful really." Her sarcasm wasn't lost on the Winchester's but they let it slide considering they needed her to tell them what she'd seen.

"Actually, I meant that he married Sonya." He shook his head frowning about it.

"Dean." Sam just sighed and faced forward again deciding to leave well enough alone.

"Sometimes, it's better to share something like that than have to hide it from someone who wasn't there and couldn't understand." Phade said from her corner. "They need each other."

The lights flicked past as they left the city and got on the freeway heading to their next location. The last address on the list Phade had updated.

"She's still beautiful." Phade whispered and since she was directly behind Dean he heard and agreed though he had no idea how she would know that. His forehead wrinkled as the though that maybe she 'glimpsed' more than she let on formed. After all, memories weren't just words…

 **W**


	8. Chapter 8

They arrived at the last house which showed signs of life. It was an old house, a square block sitting in the middle of a green plot with a wide porch on the front and a red tiled walkway lined with flowers. There was a large weeping willow on the right side of the yard and though most of its leaves were on the ground it still had a couple clinging tenaciously to the branches. Beneath the canopy Sam could make out the shadow of a wooden bench, the rust colored cushions covered with leaves.

"Someone's home." Sam stated noting the glowing windows. Dean leaned forward peering up at the house and made a satisfied sound deep in his throat. There was a car parked in front of the house so he took the spot two cars down.

"Let's go." Dean grabbed his keys opening his door at the same time. Sam followed getting out of the car and leaning down to push the seat forward for Phade when he noticed she hadn't moved.

"Dean." Sam called before leaning into the back seat reaching for her.

"No, Sam." Dean's face appeared in the window, he shook his head. "Let her sleep." His voce was soft as he glanced at her. He was feeling just a little guilty especially since John Winchester's voice kept repeating those words. _'Girls are different, Dean. Treat 'em with respect.'_ She hadn't looked very alert after they left Kosovo's place and knowing she'd been in the old mans brain digging around for information creeped him out. How could you stop someone from hearing your every thought?

Sam hesitated but after a glance at her sleeping face he agreed and closed the door as softly as he could so as not to wake her and followed Dean. His brother was unnaturally quiet as they walked down the block to the house.

Dean couldn't help but wonder at all the bickering they did. After ten years he finally got to see the biggest crush he'd ever had on a girl and he made a mess of things. Not a moment went by that he and Phade didn't argue or get on each others nerves yet he found himself wanting to give her a moments rest…

 _'What the hell's wrong with me?'_ he wondered with a slight frown. He noticed Sam's look and shoved thoughts of his charitable niceness towards Phade to the back of his mind.

"Nice neighborhood." He commented in his usual mocking tone. Halfway down the block a dog barked and it wasn't long before the rest of the mutts on the block took it up. Sam noticed Dean's smirk and hoped his brother would just leave him alone.

"Miss that old mutt do ya, Sam?" he asked and Sam's hope was dashed just like that. It was a wonder he still kept his faith.

"Yes." Sam replied with a resigned sigh. "Yes, I do." He said honestly. Dean's smirk faded immediately as he looked at Sam obviously disappointed. "The house Dean." He nodded to the squat squared off building in front of them.

"Now you went and took the fun out of this." Dean grumbled heading up the brick walkway. "You're the intern." he ordered remembering the last time they'd done the whole reporter bit besides; they were dealing with a sweet old lady. How could she not like him?

"How do you know Jules didn't call her? Tell her we might be showing up asking her questions." Sam asked and even though they couldn't be sure she'd been warned it was a possibility. Dean glanced at the door then at Sam and back again thinking it out. Lies _always_ worked out for Dean. They were easy and got him what he wanted but that didn't make him a liar.

"Damn, guess the truth is going to have to work this time." Dean said with a shrug. He moved away from the door motioning for Sam to knock. "Go ahead. The truth always sounds better coming from you."

"Hmph!" Sam snorted derisively already pushing the doorbell. They didn't wait long before Daniella Vonn answered the door. She looked both guys over curiously and when she spoke her voice didn't sound old.

"Can I help you?"

The brothers glanced at each other before Sam began with the truth and the reason they were there.

 **W**

Alone.

There was no one around, every where she turned the streets were empty. Phade was alone. White puffs marked her erratic breaths as she turned searching in vain for any sign of life, a sign that someone, anyone could see her, help her but the wind picked up throwing thick strands of inky locks in her face.

Phade shivered shifting uncomfortably. Her body slid on the seat startling her awake. She jerked up, eyes wide and gasped harshly. She was confused, unsure as to what had happened or where she was. Phade slid her legs off the back seat running trembling fingers through her hair and tried to calm down. The quiet finally penetrated the foggy cacophony in her brain. She looked around, both hands clutching the seat back but the windows where fogged up. She could see nothing outside and both Winchester's were gone.

Her heart began its rapid beat as breaths shortened with the beginnings of panic.

"Dean! Sam!" Phade cried scrambling to get the door open and the seat shoved forward. She stumbled out into the chilly night hearing the lone whine of a dog. It was comforting in that she wasn't entirely alone.

"Sam?" she called into the empty street unsure of what house the Winchester's had entered. Her voice had a definite tremble in it which she hated and her head was filled with voices making it difficult to think or plan her next move. All she knew to do was call out for them and hope one would hear her and answer.

"Dean!" there was a slight crunch on the sidewalk and Phade turned searching for the source. The street darkened considerably and the back of her neck itched where the protection rune shimmered beneath her skin. She scratched it absently still searching the street feeling a cold wind blow past her sending locks of inky waves into her eyes. Her body shivered and the hand flicking strands out of her face trembled.

"This isn't funny." Phade grouched though her voice lacked the necessary heat to make it threatening. This was something Dean would do, play a nasty trick on her, try and scare her and all just to prove his haunting gig was legit. He thought she didn't believe them because they hadn't shown her any _real_ proof but that didn't mean she didn't believe them.

It didn't matter, she was scared. Something was coming, something dark and it wanted her.

"No." Phade shook her head and moved towards the car. "No, no, no." she denied the knowledge, the certainty of those thoughts not knowing where they had come from.

The whisper of voices intensified flowing on the breeze that surrounded her. Wherever she turned the wind kept buffeting her cutting off her retreat. Phade kept turning unsure of which way to go, the darkness engulfed her completely and even her voice was drowned out cut off from the world outside the night.

She felt him rise behind her, large and dark with an overwhelming need…

 _'For me.'_

 **W**

Daniella brought out her mother's tea set and handed each man a cup. She motioned to the scones which Sam politely refused scowling at Dean who shoved a couple in his mouth. He glanced at him with his usual 'What?' look. The tea cup teetered precariously in his hand drawing three sets of eyes to the delicate china Dean was in danger of breaking. Clearing his throat, Dean set the pink flowery cup on the table and got down to business.

"The demon you raised, its killing,, has been for some time now and its not about to stop all by itself."

Daniella arched a graying eyebrow. "Hmph. No need to get smart with me, Dean."

"Excuse me?" Dean asked wondering if he had actually heard the old lady correctly. Since when did _she_ get to use that snippety tone when it was he that was trying to get rid of demon she raised? Sam immediately noticed the signs of impeding 'Dean Disaster' and started to intervene.

"Dean." The note of warning in his little brother's voice earned a glare as Dean wondered where he had gone wrong. "Apologize." Sam ordered in a hushed voice giving him 'the look' and a shove.

 _'As if I were some troublesome kid! What the hell is this?'_

"I'm sorry," Sam began while Dean opened his mouth but he couldn't get past the sudden urge to strangle Sam. "We're just trying to figure out how to stop it from killing."

"Apologize?" Dean butted in. "I'm getting tired of this Sam."

"Dean-." Sam began with an apologetic look to Daniella which only served to annoy Dean.

"You know," he said looking straight at the old woman. "I will apologize." He paused working down some of the disrespect. "For trying to stop the demon _you_ raised."

Daniella sucked in a sharp breath knowing he was right but unable to keep the guilt from washing over her. Hadn't she done enough? Now she was trying to play up old age to her advantage just to garner some sympathy. Before Sam could begin to berate Dean on his lack of tact Daniella spoke up.

"I've tried to stop it." She sighed then a thin vein threaded hand covered her mouth. The tea cup rattled on her lap. "When we-. When I called it up I wasn't prepared for the demon. For what it was."

"What do you mean?" Dean put his annoyance aside in order to understand why she would call up something she couldn't control? Why call it up in the first place? Didn't they have a purpose for it?

"It was too strong. I didn't realize what-. I should have known better but I was young and Jack… He had a way of getting what he wanted."

"So you gave in, raised the demon." Dean shrugged kind of understanding the why or part of it any way. It was something he would've done under the right circumstances or the right motivation, which he assumed she'd had what with Jack...

 _'Jack must've been some kind of ladies man.'_ Dean smirked at the thought.

"But you had to cast a circle, a symbol, something to keep it trapped, contained." Sam leaned forward making a point of emphasizing the rules of any ritual.

"Oh, there was," Daniella nodded. "I set the candles in a circle, performed the ritual casting then lit each one. I lay a pentagram with white sand in the center…" she shook her head at the stupidity, the naiveté of her younger self.

"That's it?" Dean asked hoping there was more to the circle. "You didn't do anything else?" he looked at her incredulous as she shook her head negatively. What the hell had she been thinking?

"We formed the circle. The nine of us." She said never flinching from his baleful glare. "We were what held it trapped but…" Daniella closed her eyes remembering the cold wind and the howling. "I don't know who broke the circle first but the demon lashed out and everyone ran."

"And the girl died." Dean shook his head disappointed in the group thinking they hadn't been all that great a group of friends in the first place. Jack was dicking around with two girls, Frank was drunk and making out with his girl, Marty the little perv was trying to cop a feel, then there's Vernon and Damien on the side just watching them all go to hell.

"We were kids." Daniella heard the excuse in her voice and it sounded ridiculous. A woman her age, making excuses for her stupidity…

"You should've known better." And she knew Dean was talking about her lineage, the witches in her family. She had been taught better, had been pulled into the circle of older women and taught as all the women in her family had been taught about their gift.

"Yes, I should have but I wasn't exactly the good daughter." She set her tea cup down afraid of dropping it. "Learning about the family 'gifts' wasn't important to me."

Sam slouched in his seat uncomfortably, knowing he'd tried to shirk his family responsibility to the job they'd been force into. Not like Dean, he was always the good son and Sam could feel his eyes boring into him.

"Yeah, well…" Dean trailed off ignoring Sam's discomfort guessing the thoughts going through his brother's mind. He hoped there wouldn't be any guilt trips after this interview because Dean didn't think he could deal with one. "How do we stop it?"

"It took nine to raise it…" Daniella trailed off glancing at the brothers.

"So, you'll need nine to send it back. Great." Dean looked at Sam smiling. It was one of those 'Aren't we just screwed royally?' smiles his brother seemed to favor.

"Why didn't you do this before?" Sam asked quietly. Daniella took a deep breath and tried to explain why every one had refused to even acknowledge that night.

"No one wanted to talk about it after the 2nd girl-. Most of us headed off to school, out of state of course. Without Jenna we were still one person short and Frank-. He drowned himself in drink, he really did love her." Daniella shook her head slowly as if it pained her to move that much. She seemed to age more before the Winchester's and they glanced at each other. Dean could see Sam's eyes asking him to take it easy on the woman but he had no patience for it when there was a demon on the loose, killing for fun.

"That's just great. Most of your friends are dead." He gave her a sarcastic smile looking to Sam again. "There's what, three of the original nine left, four with you." Dean glanced at Daniella who now looked to him as if there were a possibility of finally putting this nightmare to rest. "Six with us and seven with Phade."

"We're still short two." Sam sat thinking.

"Anyone we know close by?" Dean asked without much hope of a positive answer. For some reason Los Angeles wasn't known for its hunters and after everything he'd seen with Phade he had a big question in need of an answer.

"Don't know. Maybe Phade knows someone…" Sam glanced at Dean with a shrug. He shivered suddenly as if a cold wind blew past him. With a frown, Sam looked over his shoulder and felt the familiar touch at his temples. He closed his eyes sighing softly but everything was dark with only a couple of flickers outlining a slim shape.

Sam heard Dean call insistently but ignored him. The shape cleared to a grayish mass which he recognized immediately.

It was Phade.

Phade turned towards him raising a hand to her throat. Fear was stamped clearly on her face then she closed her eyes willing herself to relax. The fear left her face almost immediately to be replaced by an eerie calmness.

 _'Sam…'_ she reached out with her mind feeling the vague threads of his thoughts. He could feel her thought. It was soothing in its careful touch and he knew she was trying not to alarm him but…

 _'Sam, find me.'_

 **W**


	9. Chapter 9

Dean barely kept his feet as Sam shoved past him and out the door.

"What the hell!" Dean pushed off the couch and hurried after his brother. The door banged against the wall as he sprinted down the front steps.

"Sam?" Dean called to his back but he ignored him as he got out of the car and began scanning the street. "Sam-."

"She's gone." Sam rubbed his face in frustration.

"What?" Dean moved past and glanced into the Impala but she wasn't there. He shook his head refusing to admit what they were both thinking. "She's probably-."

"Gone! It got her, Dean." The anger only covered the fact he felt as though he'd let her down. As if he had failed yet again to save someone.

"How do you know? She could have wandered off." Dean slammed the door shut.

"I heard-." Sam flinched from Dean's look. "She wants me to find her."

The soft crunch of steps made both Winchester's stiffen. Turning they found Daniella calmly holding a flashlight. She glanced at the car then at them.

"Did you boys loose something?"

 **W**

Shadows danced across the walls slinking from one corner to another and slipping into the black ceiling. There was no furniture besides the large ornate floor mirror and the altar. If anything were to inspire a thread of fear it would be that. The base seemed to sprout from the floor, a black mass of veins weaving into an endless tangle. Each thread was no thicker than a thin branch and pulsing.

The sight of such a mass sickened but the woman lying on the onyx slab supported by those shivering veins was unconscious.

He moved, eerily silent in the large room. There was no echo in that vaulted ceiling almost as if the shadows up there fed on sound. The black cloud enshrouding him slid off as he stopped by her. He reached for her arm lifting it gently and pushing back the cuff of the jacket. The glittering rune shone clearly, lit by an inner glow. Satisfied he set her arm down and began to unbutton the jacket.

He needed to be sure.

There could be no mistake.

Phade stirred as he turned her over pulling the jacket off her shoulder. Her eyes opened to the dark room. She blinked trying to get some focus and after a moment the room was bathed in a violet glow and she could see clearly. She felt the cold touch on her shoulder and gasped rolling onto her back. Phade's eyes widened as she caught glimpses of the writhing mass above her. The man reached for her mouth to cover it but Phade shoved it aside.

Something in his eyes flickered frightening Phade as much as his strength had surprised her. She sat up only to have him shove her back. Her head banged into the onyx slab painfully but she ignored the flare of pain. Phade grabbed his wrist intending to shove it off her chest but couldn't lift it high enough.

 _'What the hell is this?'_

A sliver of panic threaded its way through her anger, which she refused to acknowledge. She kicked up and shoved again. The man stumbled back releasing her and Phade rolled to her side half sitting up in order to stand.

"Aah!" she pulled back from the worm like tendrils pulsing towards her. Phade pulled her feet up looking around but she was surrounded by those things. The man growled behind her and as a last attempt Phade jumped over the veins to get away. Her feet hit the floor surprising her. She stumbled a step then fell and turned to see the man reaching for her. His hand was clawed, black tendrils snaking towards her and the trailing vines wormed their way closer. She couldn't scream, it was caught in her throat choking her. Phade backpedaled aware of the useless motion. She scrambled to her feet stumbling a step when she felt herself yanked back.

She screamed.

Frantically she pulled free of the jacket letting it slide off her arm as she ran for the door. The black shadows swirled around the figure of a man slipping in and out of the body. He twitched surging forward again. The jacket was flung aside and the hand tangled in her hair. Her scream echoed in the room. Phade instinctively reached for the hand. He shoved her face first into a pillar before tossing her aside. Phade hit the wall and bounced off. Every muscle in her body ached, weak with the fear of those- she had no idea what or who it was.

She rose trembling and clung to the wall. Her eyes searched for the thing but couldn't see.

Being blind in the darkness raised her fear. Was she weak? Didn't the runes work? Where they gone?

Question after question bombarded raising panic because she didn't know what else to do. How would she get out of this?

 _'Metal…'_

Phade latched onto the faint voice willing it to give her something more but it didn't return.

Metal.

She needed to find something made of metal.

Having something to do brought a modicum of calm to her otherwise ragged breaths and rapid thumping of her heart. She remembered Sam telling her metal hurt anything supernatural but everywhere she reached out there was empty space. There was nothing she could use…

Phade squeezed her eyes shut biting back the whimper threatening to pass her clenched jaw. She flinched from the cold wind sliding over her shoulder slowly turning around. Her back was pressed up against the wall, her breaths coming short and ragged. Fearfully she opened her eyes into the darkness knowing it was there. Twin yellow orbs glimmered suspended for a moment before the blackness rushed towards her.

Phade raised an arm in a useless attempt to fend off the legions. Her scream echoed up to the rafters as the arctic wave swallowed her.

 **W**

"Are you sure?" Dean glared into the rearview mirror wanting for the hundredth time to hear a positive answer.

"I don't know. There's not much I've been able to gather on this being." Daniella flipped through more pages looking frazzled.

"It's possible though?" Sam turned in his seat. "She could be the one it's been searching for."

"Ye-No. I don't know boys. The demon needs a source of power big enough to break free. None of the women he's taken have been able to do much besides keep it alive, so to speak. The source of all this- well it has to be the university." Daniella for once appeared her age since the Winchester's had first barged into her life. The bright youthful look of her eyes and cheery light of her home were gone now leaving the wrinkled grandmother before them.

"The field then?" Dean glanced at Sam both thinking the demon would be where they had seen the orbs.

"We weren't on the field when I raised it." Daniella closed the book and clutched at her medallion. "We were in the half constructed building beside it."

"Wait, that red brick one?" Dean snapped his fingers trying to remember the name of it.

"It's the organic lab building." Sam supplied looking to Daniella for confirmation.

"That's the one!" Dean exclaimed and in the back of his mind he wondered why they had to name all those building, couldn't they just assign a number or letter?

 _'You're avoiding the truth.'_ The little voice rose up again making his stomach clench. _'It's the guilt. You know it's your fault she's gone. You knew it was coming for her and you left her all alone…'_

Dean gripped the steering wheel tighter his knuckles turning white. He couldn't deny the truth of those nastily sung words. He'd left her alone, a perfect target for the demon, all because he hadn't wanted to disturb her, to give her a moment of rest.

What the hell had he been thinking?

 _'You can't protect her, you can't protect him either. Sam has a destiny to fulfill just like she does…'_

No. He wasn't going to let either one of them go. He would fix this. He'd find her, save her and then he'd focus on Sam, on the demon that wanted him. No way in hell his brother was going to end up that son of a bitch's soldier! It wasn't going to happen.

"Dean." Sam lay a gentle hand on his brothers shoulder staring at his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel. "She'll be fine." Sam hoped he was telling the truth, hoped Phade was still alive because he was sure his brother blamed himself.

"She will as soon as we get rid of that demon." Dean ground out turning into the university grounds. He sped past the sorority houses ignoring speed limits and barely avoided the guy crossing the street. He pounded on the horn making a right turn but Sam held his tongue. This wasn't the time to lecture his brother on safe driving.

"There it is." Daniella pointed relived to be getting out of the car. "The red brick on your left."

Dean didn't comment just slammed the brakes and the Impala screeched to a halt. He jumped out of the car the door swinging shut behind him as he opened the trunk. Sam helped Daniella onto the sidewalk offering a reassuring smile before joining Dean. His brother didn't say a word as he handed him the pistol. Dean reached back into the trunk pulling a silver curved blade he tucked into the back of his jeans then grabbed the shotgun.

"We take it down no matter what. You hear?" Dean's eyes bore into Sam who only nodded agreement. Dean went past moving to the front doors. "You do your mojo lady." Dean ordered pumping the shotgun.

 **W**

Phade hit the ground and lay there coughing a breath a hand clutching at her ribs. The gash in her arm bled freely causing her more pain as the demon hauled her up again. The leather belt slid from her hand but she clenched her fingers around the end. She heard the jingle of the heavy buckle, the metal buckle.

Phade grabbed at the hand closing around her neck unable to get a grip. Her fingers kept sliding through the black swirls, she could feel them licking at the blood on her arm, feeding from her… she closed her eyes disgusted but the image burned in her brain making her nauseous.

The door crashed open and the roar in her ears wove with the shouts.

"Let her go!" Sam shouted, gun aimed but the blackness swirled obscuring Phade.

"Put her down!" Dean ordered looking for an opening but everywhere the black mass shifted he caught a glimpse of Phade, feet dangling over a swirling pit of worms. The sight of the black writhing mass made the bile rise in his throat.

Phade's eyes widened as the demons moved closer to the pit. She tried to shout, to tell them she didn't want to go there but the words couldn't get past. With a surge of strength Phade swung the belt like a whip, the buckle sunk into the swirling cloud and clunked loudly. It recoiled and the hand disappeared. Her feet hit the wooden floor jarring her body. She flailed refusing to fall into the pit even if they did accidentally shoot her.

Sam fired a moment after Dean's first shot hit its mark. The demon burst, separating into dozens of shadows, which quickly flitted into the cavernous ceiling. Dean fired again hitting the demons back dead center. It recoiled screeching a high keening sound but Dean didn't let it stop him from pumping the shotgun and firing again.

Phade gasped for breath clutching at her throat when she looked into his face. Recognition dawned almost immediately; the features were the same, the hair, the eyes-. He still wore glasses and she knew.

Daniella stood in the doorway reciting the binding words. The medallion warmed in her hand, uncomfortably but she would not let go. Sweat beaded her skin and her face flushed a deep rosy pink. Her breathing became more ragged but she forced the words past her numb lips knowing she had to continue, that she had to finish what she so stupidly began seven decades ago. Daniella shuffled into the room feeling every ache deep in her bones as she continued the litany unwilling to break the flow. The amassed legions writhed overhead their malevolence crushing down upon her.

He felt the burn of salt pepper his back, he grabbed the girl but she swung the buckle hitting his face again. The blow opened a gash above his eye, hot blood coursed down his cheek. He raised his arms to strike and felt the barrier. He snarled searching-.

"The witch!"

Daniella looked up, her face horrified. Tears pooled in her eyes rolling down wrinkled skin.

"Oh, Marty."

He smiled, teeth bared. Her eyes widened both realizing the mistake. His hand shot forward and a wind rushed past. It knocked the Winchester's off their feet. Phade jumped on his back shocked when she didn't pass through him. She hadn't thought it would work which is why she'd wrapped the belt around her hand and now slammed the buckle onto Marty's head repeatedly.

Marty raged flinging her off. Phade hit the floor hard feeling her shoulder pop. She clenched her jaw against the pain as Daniella shrieked.

Daniella tried to cover her face but Marty pushed her hands aside. He held her by her throat, feet dangling and just beneath her a black pool coalesced, those worming veins reaching upwards. Phade scrambled to get far away from the pulsing tendrils.

"Go back to hell you son of a bitch!" Dean pumped the shotgun rising to his feet.

"No!" Phade's shout echoed with the report.

Marty stumbled back a step wincing. His eyes became black pools and the blood seeping from his side changed until more of those tendrils reached out of the gaping wound to stab at Daniella. Marty laughed, his lips pulled back in a mocking sneer.

"You never listen." His voice rasped and then he flicked a finger. All three flew back and came to rest pinned on a wall. Phade hit the pillar slamming her head against the wood. Pain washed through her coursing excruciatingly from her shoulder to the back of her head. She could hear them struggling to get loose and Dean's angry curses, Sam called her name. Phade tried to answer but everything swam, muddling her vision and she felt overly warm.

"Phade!" Dean glared at the demon glancing towards the slithering shadows as they moved towards Phade. He could see her barely struggling half conscious and he couldn't do anything to help her. "Phade! Wake up! Phade."

"NO!" Sam struggled needing to get loose to help her. "Let her go!" he yelled at the demon but it didn't pay attention.

Marty held onto Daniella slowly leeching the life from her. The black tendrils worked their way up into her chest the pulsing causing her pain but she couldn't scream. There were gurgles and a thin stream of drool hung out of the corner of her mouth. Her eyes closed softly then her hand fell away…

"Phade WAKE UP!" Dean ordered his voice flowed with authority but even so Phade only noticed the heat, the suffocating dryness.

Sam shook his head unable to make a sound and suddenly he saw her again. Saw her burning…

 **W**


	10. Chapter 10

It was hot, the air barely breathable, my vision wavered, my skin… I itched all over and I couldn't scratch, I couldn't move. Where was I?

"DEAN!" I know I screamed. I know it hurt, my throat feeling as if sulfurous matches were being lit all along the lining.

WHERE WAS I!

 _'Do not fear…'_

And again the voice, always that _fucking_ voice and what was the point? How was it helping me?

The light wavered before me; the itching became a burning rash suffusing my entire body. It ran along every nerve, every muscle, all of me!

"WHY!" again the rasping scream but I couldn't stop. "WHY, TELL ME WHY!"

 _'You have chosen. You are one of us.'_

They were a chorus of voices echoing inside me and out, all around and nowhere…

 _'Become…'_

Become what? Become a charred stump right were I stand? Ok, sure I'm here all ready why not?

Why? Because I don't want to die. I don't, I'm not ready! I have things to do, places to see, people- people I - I love.

 _"Phade! Wake up, don't let them-!"_

I could hear them, both of them yelling for me to wake up but I was awake, awake and burning.

At first I thought the flames were just- I don't know maybe I was loosing it, dying…? They wavered, flickering then forming into a shape, a woman. She wore red leather, a uniform, like the ones in my other vision. Her hair was braided, two plaits woven on top of her head, eyes shimmering red-orange, lips slightly parted as if in awe. She seemed to glow, her skin all coppery and golden with a slight blush accentuating high cheekbones peppered with a smattering of freckles.

Her hand reached out for me, her lips moving, speaking…

 **W**

Phade's arm reached out her hand grasping at something Sam couldn't see. He tried to move, to help her but found himself completely frozen to the wall. He gave a frustrated yell hating his powerlessness; he couldn't bear to see history repeat itself for a third time. They couldn't loose Phade as well.

 _'Another innocent. You're loosing one more, getting ever closer to the darker side…'_ the laughter lent him renewed strength and he struggled harder.

Dean kept pulling on his limbs forcing them to move and failing. His eyes shot daggers at the shadows moving around the ceiling, slithering over Phade skimming over her skin in a writhing mass of worms. His fingers twitched with an inhuman desire, a need to tear into the demon…

Flames rose higher, licking at the ceiling and along the pillar where the shadows clung. The pyre flared and the black mass flinched away as if hurt by the sudden brightness. Both Winchester's stared wide eyed and ceased their struggles as Phade took a steady step forward. Her hand reached above her head lazily taking a shadow and yanking it down in front of her. It writhed screeching painfully vainly trying to get away another tried to help its demon cohort only to be taken in her left hand. Both screeching demons were engulfed in the flames lighting up brightly.

Dean blinked the bright spots from his eyes shaking his head. He wiped his eyes taking a deep breath as he focused on Phade.

"What the hell…" he breathed.

Sam for his part stumbled forward watching stupidly as Phade shoved her hand through the dead body of Daniella. It flared then ash floated down lightly to pile at her feet.

Phade was completely bathed in the flames, they wavered with every move she made resembling a flickering candle. Her long hair moved as if a breeze blew lightly in the room. It fell down her back in waves grazing her waist, she had a hand, fingers wrapped around the demons throat, a black cuff on her wrist.

"Fury!" Marty hissed in pain and fear. The demon inside him tried to break free, tried to escape. Phade pulled the spectacled face closer to hers yanking him down to her eye level. Her mouth turned up, the smile cold and very satisfied.

"Ish kar mai va, deimon. Isur noi taka!" her words echoed in the room sending the screeching legions above them into a frenzy of flight. Phade flared brighter and with a choked scream Marty burst into flames. She let him fall into the swirling mass at her feet looking down in disgust. A mass of the legions converged on her then trying to push her down as well but the flames kept them at bay. One by one she burned them all until the rest cowered above. They were unable to leave, trapped by the demon who had enslaved them, souls…

"Phade…" Dean took a tentative step in her direction unsure of what to do-. What should he do? The girl he'd come to rescue was walking around on fire yet she wasn't burning. She wasn't burning…

Phade moved towards the writhing altar barely glancing at Dean. He could see the orange-red shimmer of her eyes and it stopped him. The wormlike tendrils shrank away from her flinching from the heat. She raised a booted foot kicking the altar over. The onyx tablet slid off crashing on the floor. It shattered the pieces sliding along the wooden planks then melting pooling together. With both hands Phade took the writhing mass of veins and shoved it into the pit. A loud wail pierced the air and the building lurched violently. The floor trembled sending the Winchester's to their knees as they tried to keep their footing. The building shook as the legions swirled above them. Their cries rose to a deafening keen as they were sucked into the pit. Phade stalked towards the mirror which she pushed over until it fell face down on top of the pit. It screeched suddenly shattering and a blinding light shot forth.

Sam and Dean covered their faces hissing at the painful radiance. The glow diminished enough that they could see. Dean got to his feet first and moved towards Phade. She stood where the mirror had broken, no trace of the pit or remnant of the legions left. The flames dimmed, waving lazily until they died out leaving her with an inner glow.

"Phade?" Dean's voice rasped clotted with feelings, worry being the first closely followed by relief. He saw her then, taking in her appearance; the black leather top fitting her like a second skin, straps crisscrossing then buckling on her left side; then the tiny skirt strangely resembling a loin cloth, to the calf high boots and the buckling straps along the top.

Sam noticed the soft smile on her face, the dimple peeking out on her left cheek. The red-orange shimmer slowly faded from her eyes and at her first step she stumbled. Her hand reached out for Dean and he rushed forward but he wasn't able to catch her. Phade sank to the floor on all fours slowly tipping sideways until she lay completely still. Dean reached down intending to check her pulse and recoiled.

"God dammit!" he hissed waving his hand in the air.

"What-?" Sam began to ask but then he noticed the light wisps of steam rising from Phade's body. "The hell…"

"She burned me!" Dean exclaimed in surprise staring down at the unconscious woman at his feet. He knelt by her becoming aware of the dimming light, the room grew steadily darker.

"Dean?" Sam called, his eyes riveted to the glowing mark on her spine. Dean glanced at his brother who pointed at something, he leaned across her careful not to touch Phade.

"What is it?" Sam asked frowning but Dean had no answer either, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and quickly snapped a picture of the rapidly fading symbol.

"What are you doing?" Sam made to grab the phone but Dean moved away.

"What's it look like?" he grumbled then tentatively tapped her shoulder. She was overly warm, as if she were suffering from a fever but no longer burning hot to the touch.

"Dean…" Sam rose looking about the dark room surveying the empty space. There was nothing left, no altar, no shadows, demons- the pit was closed-. "How did she do this?"

Dean slipped an arm under her side lifting her when the faint glow on her wrist drew his attention. He touched a finger to the skin now barely warm and cooling quickly. He snapped a quick picture of that one as well before picking her up. He was surprised to feel her so light in his arms and seeing her face he noticed the deep shadows around her eyes.

"I don't know." Dean muttered letting his breath out and cradling her closer to his chest.

She was safe now.

 **W**

The Hyperion was empty which was no surprise to him. He'd paced the length of the lobby for the last 20minutes hoping some one would show soon. He'd never been one with much patience so when he heard the front doors open he rushed forward with relief. At least until a second reaction kicked in and he drew his weapon.

"Who the fuck are you!" he roared, face a mask of rage at the sight before him.

"Us?" Dean scowled shifting Phade's body in his arms but he wouldn't be able to draw a gun holding her. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Dean settled on a menacing snarl.

"I swear if you hurt her-." Ryan threatened moving a step closer.

"Wait, wait." Sam held up his hands in a placating gesture. He glanced at Dean who still held Phade protectively in his arms, wrapped in his coat then to the angry man pointing a Beretta at them. "We didn't-. You know her?" he pointed at Phade who looked as if she were sleeping peacefully.

"Yeah, I fucking know her. Now put my girl down." he ordered waving the gun at them.

"Your gir-… oh." Dean nodded as he realized who stood before them. He turned to Sam smirking and in his best sarcastically insulting voice said; "The boyfriend."

"Dean." Sam warned knowing this wasn't the time to get into another fight especially when 'the boyfriend' was holding a gun pointed at them.

"You're the shit who answered her phone." Ryan's scowl deepened his face flushing an angry red.

"I'm pretty sure I hung up." Dean retorted with another smile. He turned to the stairs intent on going upstairs and laying her down in her bed. He didn't care the boyfriend had shown up as far as Dean was concerned he was little late on the rescuing detail.

"Hold it." Ryan ordered. He aimed at Dean's back, the sound of the gun being readied for a shot loud in the lobby. Sam jumped in front of Dean waving his hands in front of himself.

"Wait, wait! We can explain!"

 **W**

The room was dark, silent. Phade blinked a couple of times getting her eyes adjusted then the violet shimmer over her eyes bathed the room in its soft glow allowing her a perfect view of her surroundings.

 _'I'm home.'_

The knowledge that she was in her bedroom and once again home left her feeling confused. Hadn't she been out with the Winchester's hunting down a demon? What had happened?

Phade shifted on her bed turning towards her door when she noticed the shadow in the chair by her bed. She tensed, slightly rising in order to defend herself when Ryan's features materialized. A relieved smile lit her face. She was about to reach for him when his face shifted. It was so fast she could've pretended it was nothing but then it happened again and his face mutated shifting grotesquely until the black writhing masses spewed from his open mouth.

She screamed, her hands shot out and a large ball of flames engulfed the demon. It writhed screeching-.

"NO!"

Phade sat up in her bed panting. The room was dark and the heavy smell of smoke drew her eyes towards the smoldering cushion on the chair by her bed. She rose in a fluid motion grabbing the pillow from her bed and quickly put out the beginning flames. The door burst open with a loud bang as it slammed against the wall. Phade turned and seeing Ryan threw the pillow at him. She wasn't falling twice for the dream and if it was a sign then she was definitely listening.

Ryan grabbed at the pillow yanking the smoky mass from his face only to land on the bed. The mattress bounced with his weight then Phade was on top of him her, hand closing around his throat. He could see her eyes shimmering purple which meant she definitely saw him. She had his free hand in a vise like grip when the lights turned on.

"You're into kinky stuff." Dean's mocking voice cut through the confusion in her brain. She turned to the door frowning at the Winchester's then glanced back at Ryan.

"Shut up." Sam snapped moving slowly towards Phade who hesitantly took her hand away from Ryan's neck.

"You don't know him?" his soothing voice made her jerk in his direction and seeing the looks directed at her quickly scrambled off the bed and Ryan.

"I-." Phade looked up at Sam. "He was-." The explanation stuck in her throat and she moved further away from the men. "I didn't-." she shook her head bumping into the night stand. She turned reflexively quickly glancing up at them again. The mirror caught her eyes and she focused on that or rather on the image it reflected.

Phade's eyes narrowed at what she saw. She tore her eyes from the mirror and glanced down at herself.

"Aah!" she yelled making the men flinch. Her accusing eyes landed on Dean. "What did you do?"

"Me?" Dean straightened glancing at Sam. Phade took a menacing step in his direction when Sam intervened.

"It wasn't- you just-." He laid a tentative hand on her bare shoulder. His brown eyes searched hers looking compassionate as ever. "Don't you remember? Anything?"

Phade stared at Sam for a moment. Her vision swam and his face rippled nauseatingly. Phade pulled away from him, away from all three men and stumbled back clutching her head with a slight grunt of pain. She heard a chorus of voices again, the clang of metal and the roar of war. There were screams, images of the dead and dying being torn to pieces, hacked away and torn down. The women, each one- red, blue, brown and her, the woman in black.

The last image flared and then she was throwing Marty into the pit-. "NO."

She shook her head as if to deny what she was seeing then the words just spilled out.

"Return to hell demon, spread of word of my coming…"

"What?" Dean frowned steeping into the room.

"I said that." Phade muttered. "Me?" she glanced up at Dean as if asking if it was true. Her eyes plead with him to deny it but he couldn't, he had no idea what she'd said let alone what language that had been.

"What the hell is going on?" Ryan seemed to loom over the Winchester's though he was only a couple of inches taller than Sam was. He glared at the guys as if warning them then settled his gaze on Phade.

She looked at him seeing herself choking him again and felt fear crawling up her spine. She could've snapped his neck easily and there was nothing he could've done yet she hadn't. Why?

Phade let out a shuddering breath covering her eyes. The tears were gathering behind her closed lids as she fought the shame of letting them see her weakened. Finally giving in she dropped her hands and took a tentative step towards Ryan. Anger was clearly visible in the set of his jaw; his body stiffened quickly bringing her to a halt. He could see the question in her eyes, the trembling bottom lip and the shine of tears barely contained and sighed.

The Winchester's saw him exhale opening his arms for her. Phade rushed to him wrapping her arms around his waist. Ryan folded his arms around her feeling her shoulders shake as the tears fell. He smoothed her hair down her back gently murmuring soft words as he kissed the top of her head.

Sam backed out turning away from the couple and saw the look in Dean's face. The green eyes usually so bright with some planned mischief or burning with the hunt now reflected a deep melancholic sadness. Sam hadn't seen that look in a while, a look almost like the one he'd worn after their Dad…

"Come on." He gently pushed Dean out of the way and closed the door behind him to give Phade privacy. Dean stood for a moment staring at the door, jaw clenching and a resigned look on his face. He nodded once then followed Sam out of her suite.

"You have the worst timing with her." Sam commented remembering the night of the infamous first kiss.

"Tell me about it." Dean shook his head forcing himself to accept that he wasn't meant to have the life he wanted or any thing else.

 _'People like us don't have any thing because it's always taken away.'_

The echo of her words sounded softly in his brain and now he could recognize the sadness.

 **W**


	11. Chapter 11

"I can't remember the last time I had a full table." Phade commented glancing around the round dining room table. She had a warm smile as she looked at each man. The last couple of days had been very different from the abnormal routine at the Hyperion and Angel Inc.

"Yeah, well." Dean shrugged a bit embarrassed. "It's been a while since we had home cooked meals." A slight blush crept up his neck to his hair line. Ordinarily Phade would have teased him but she was feeling quite peaceful at the moment and everyone was enjoying themselves.

"I don't think I could've dealt with another diner burger." Sam grinned patting his full stomach.

"I might've been a little off…" Phade began her brow furrowed in apology. "I haven't cooked like this since-." She stopped, the words sticking in her throat as she realized what she'd been about to say. For 6years she'd only cooked for herself and Sebastian… the familiar ache threatened to choke her voice and Phade cleared her throat pasting a smile on her face. "In big quantities."

Ryan lay a comforting hand over hers. "You don't hear us complaining." He said then turned to the Winchester's. He was outwardly polite and friendly not that it was difficult with Sam because the guy was genuinely nice but Dean… oh, he just had a smart mouth. "You should see the lunches she packs. They're huge!" he exclaimed knowing she'd protest.

Phade laughed and shook her head at Ryan's exaggeration. He turned to her with a smile. _'Mission accomplished.'_ He congratulated himself.

She didn't miss Sam's hopeful look and pushed away from the table rising.

"Don't worry. You guys can find out for yourselves." She opened the door next to the kitchen counter and reached down. Dean got up when he heard her start to drag something heaving intending to help her.

"This one is all yours." Phade moved aside revealing the large blue igloo ice chest. The lid wouldn't completely close which meant she'd really stuffed it to capacity. Phade noticed Ryan's surprised look and laughed.

"How come I never got one that big?" he complained more than a little disgruntled. The little green eyed demon surfacing again in a bout of jealousy.

"Because there's two of them and only one of you." She answered then in an effort to placate him she reminded. "Besides you're not leaving yet. I have enough time to make yours."

Sam could sense the sudden undercurrents and thanks to her help he could pick up on certain feelings emanating from Ryan. He stood up abruptly and cleared his throat as he walked to where Dean was busy inspecting the food.

"Come on." Sam tapped his shoulder. "Let's put in the car before Ryan decides to take it off our hands."

"Ha! He can try." Dean scoffed closing the lid quickly and crossed his arms. "Have you seen what she put in here?" he asked Sam.

Phade shook his head more than a little amused at their antics. A sudden sadness overwhelmed her at knowing the brothers would be gone. She took a little comfort in knowing that the vision or dream she'd had of them being attacked had only been that, a dream. The warning had been for her, for what was to come.

Phade went to Dean's side and gave him a hug. She hadn't thought to do it, just felt it. She could tell he hadn't been expecting that because he stiffened for a moment before relaxing under her warm touch. The startled look fell away but before he could return the embrace she slipped away.

Phade looked up at Sam with a soft smile, head tilted slightly. She reached up tugging him down so she could place a peck on his cheek. She stepped back with a sigh and shook her head again.

"You guys be careful out there."

 **W**

Once more the brothers sat in the Impala both staring out the windshield.

"So." Dean heaved a breath. "Where to?"

Sam shrugged still staring ahead at the bright patch of sunlight waiting for them. "North?"

Dean tilted his head acknowledging the choice and slowly pulled out of the Hyperion's parking garage. "How do you feel?"

"Good." Sam replied. "You?"

"Same."

Sam glanced at Dean who wove through LA traffic with ease until they got on the freeway. He could see the slight droop of his shoulders and sighed turning to the window again.

"You're gonna miss her."

Dean didn't respond. He thought about the girl he'd loved back in school, always looking for ways to catch a glimpse of her but never saying a word. He tried to merge the smiling image of that innocent girl to the woman she now but somehow the image wouldn't fit. He wasn't a teen any more and neither was she, they weren't the innocent kids from 11years ago not that he'd ever consider himself innocent not for a long time. But Phade…

 _'I fell for her twice.'_

"Damn."

 **W**


End file.
